Amos Vogel (1921–2012)

Little Lori decides one day that he'd like to visit Times Square, and immediately sets out, only to find that come what may, he never seems to get there. The subway he takes leads him to South Ferry, the bus he rides leaves him at 242nd Street, and the taxi driver he hails kicks him out, when it turns out he doesn't have the money. All other avenues of transportation prove just as fruitless, leading him to sit down and cry. A helpful turtle then happens by, and learning the cause of his unhappiness, offers to take him to his destination. Turtles, of course, are notoriously slow, and the narrative concludes with the information that nobody has heard from Lori and his turtle friend since...

Leaving aside the question of why anyone would want to visit Times Square in the first place - this New Yorker considers it a penance having to pass through that part of the city! - I found How Little Lori Visited Times Square immensely entertaining. First published in 1963, and reprinted in this new edition in 1991, this tiny picture-book packs quite a punch. The humor rests not just upon Lori's continual misdirection, as he tries to navigate the big city, but also upon the interaction of text and image. I loved the fact that the helpful turtle speaks so slowly that there is only one word per page! I loved the warning about not walking on pigeons, in the bus scene, and found myself wondering if that was an inspiration for Mo Willems, in writing Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! With its open-ended conclusion - after all, Little Lori never does get where he is going! - I can imagine that this one won't appeal to everyone, but for those with a somewhat quirky sense of humor, it will have lots of charm. Recommended to those who enjoy stories with a somewhat bent sense of humor, as well as to all Maurice Sendak fans.… (mais)