Mr. Walker Steps Out

June 7, 2021
The white figure in the “Walk” sign knows he has an important job keeping a busy crosswalk safe in this title for fans of Sign Off and Runaway Signs. But simply observing life feels a little hollow: Mr. Walker yearns to “step out of his boxy little house and do something wonderful himself,” writes Graff (Far Away). His carpe diem is the story’s centerpiece: Jacques’s digital drawings, which combine a bright directness with a wealth of details and subtle textures, take the liberated Mr. Walker from simple pleasures (splashing in puddles, enjoying an airplane kiddie ride outside a store) to the marvelous (savoring a metropolis sunset from a spot that resembles New York’s Brooklyn Bridge Park). But when Mr. Walker has to rescue a girl stuck in the middle of a crosswalk from oncoming traffic, he realizes that “he was an important part of it all” and heads back in his box—content to take the occasional vacation. Certain to change the way readers regard the “Walk” signs in their world, this story could also open up a discussion about the intersection of work and personal fulfillment. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Stephen Barbara, Inkwell Management. Illustrator’s agent: Christy Ewers, the CAT Agency.

June 15, 2021
Explore the city--safely--with the crosswalk-signal man. On the corner of Broadway and Main Street lives Mr. Walker, the white crossing signal, who works day and night to help people traverse his street. In Jacques' sparsely but diversely populated New York City, everyone crosses at the signal, splashes in clean puddles, and enjoys ice cream and leisurely dog walks. One fine day Mr. Walker hangs up his red stop hand and goes for an adventure, freshly adult-sized and complete with a friendly if rudimentary set of facial features. On his staycation, he enjoys all the things he has seen his pedestrians doing: He eats ice cream, chases after a dog, and splashes in pristine puddles under the watchful eye of a White police officer. Spot illustrations of Mr. Walker's tour of the city depict amusement-park rides, balloons, and a skate park before he admires the sunset over the Brooklyn Bridge in a charming full-page spread. After some fortuitous crosswalk heroics away from home, Mr. Walker returns to his corner and, newly appreciative of his role in the grand scheme, settles back into the signal box quite happily. Author Graff weaves a sweet, imaginative story about the little walk-sign man, and Jacques' illustrations bring him to life in colorful, chalky illustrations. (This book was reviewed digitally.) This un-pedestrian ode to road safety gets the green light. (Picture book. 3-7)

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August 1, 2021
Preschool-Grade 2 Mr. Walker is the small, striding figure who lives in a warning-sign box adjacent to a busy intersection. Pedestrians watch that helpful box, where a brightly lit red hand means stop, and Mr. Walker's shining, white silhouette indicates that it's safe to cross. One day, Mr. Walker props up the red hand sign and jumps down onto the sidewalk, where he enjoys splashing through puddles, eating ice cream, and riding a roller coaster. Days go by, but when he sees a child trying to cross a street unsafely, he rushes over and leads her to the curb. That afternoon, he returns to his box, proud to have an important role in community safety. Graff writes in a clear, matter--of-fact tone, while letting children in on Mr. Walker's reflections as well as his actions. In the nicely composed, digital illustrations, Jacques captures many views and moods of the city. One clever scene shows diminutive Mr. Walker leaping from his box and growing to adult-human size as he descends. Pair this picture book with Joan Holub and Alison Farrell's Runaway Signs (2020).

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