At the Crossroads

by Rachel Isadora

The children of a South African village eagerly gather at the crossroads to welcome their fathers, who have been away for months working in the mines. The children wait, but the men don't come. So the children keep waiting. And waiting. They wait all through the night, until the dawn brings both the day and the longed-for loved ones.A "lively portrayal of young children in a South African village eagerly awaiting their fathers' homecoming after ten months of working in the mines....A unique glimpse...and one that deserves a place in all collections."--School Library Journal

Genres: Picture Books, Africa, Family, Fiction, Childrens, Geography, Multicultural Literature

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 1991

About the author

Rachel Isadora is an award-winning children's author and illustrator. She has written children's books on multiple topics including ballet, life in America and Africa, and has illustrated several Brother Grimm tales in an African setting. She is most well-known for her Caldecott Honor Award book "Ben's Trumpet". She was a ballet dancer before she became an illustrator and children's writer.

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for my boy. He likes that there are students his age but didn't ask much questions.

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story in which the pictures do just as much talking as the words (which are few), this a touching story of a group of South African children waiting for their fathers to return from the mines. They have been away for almost a year and although this is a time of celebration, the older reader cannot help but feel the concern that they might not concern. The children, in their excitement and eagerness make musical instruments to welcome them and stay up through the night in order to catch the first glimpse of them. It is Isadora's beautiful watercolours which bring this story to life.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only the backmatter says these are kids in South Africa.

What we know is that these are black children who are excited because their fathers (who work in the mines and are away for months at a time) are coming home today.

The kids go to school and then wait at the crossroads. It gets late and still they wait. They're there at first light when their fathers make it home.

Reminds me of
* A New Year's Reunion
* Home for Chinese New Year
* When Father Comes Home

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

An early title by the author/illustrator whose work now differs than shown in this title. These illustrations are full page paints and her more re ent illustrations feature righter colors, more individualize objects, and lots of white space. Most interesting in these illustrations are the reality of the living spaces which are made of tin and the need of carrying the necessary daily water that is used from the well. Also seeing the students ready for school is revealing for the fact there are no girls included.
Good title to see life lived in an area few of us will see or experience.

[Library Lady Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of friends wait expectantly for their fathers to return from a 10 month stint working in the mines. You can feel their anticipation and their excitement. You can feel their steadfastness as day turns to night and then to day again and still they wait. And the joy at the end when they had returned is there for all to see.

To extend the story I would have liked an explanation included about location of this story and what the families in the story endure to be able to work and live.

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joseph, Central patron, June 2018, 4 stars:

At the Crossroads is a wonderful picture book designed for children that showcases an African lifestyle. I recommend this book to children learning to read. I just wished it was a little bit longer, but overall, it is a great piece for younger readers.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

South African children gather to welcome home their fathers, who have been away for several months working in the mines. They spend the time singing, playing instruments and telling stories to one another.

[Misbah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author illustrates the excitement of children in a South African shanty town as they wait for their father's to come home from the mines.

There is so much history and culture that I know nothing about. This makes me want to crack open a history book.

[Kylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very simple book about boys waiting for their dads to come home from working in the mines.

[Josephine Burks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book about children living in a small village waiting for their fathers to come home from working in the mines.

[Petie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminded me of my time in Kenya and the sweet children who followed me around.

[Courtney Dyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the Crossroads is a post-apartheid South African picture book filled with warmth, love, and celebration. It is about a group of South African children who are eagerly awaiting their fathers’ return after ten long months of working in the mines. Taking the day to prepare for their joyous return, the children head to the crossroads after school and wait for their fathers. There they wait all night until dawn finally brings their longed-loved ones. “Our fathers are home!” they sing.

This book is most appropriate for children ages 4-8 and deals with themes such as anticipation, separation, and family. While the story takes place in a shanty town in South Africa, it will appeal to a universal audience whom has ever eagerly awaited the arrival of a parent or loved one. The rich, watercolor illustrations add to the repetitive, simple text and really leave a lasting impression on their readers who are likely to witness a setting different from their own. As a teacher, I would use this book in a cultural unit on South Africa to introduce students to life in an African village or township. I would also help students make comparisons to the children’s eager anticipation by comparing it to families who await the return of a soldier or even to families who await the return of a parent from prison. This book could also serve as a mentor text to teaching small moment stories in writing.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title:
At the Crossroads
Author:
Rachel Isadora
Publisher and Year:
Greenwillow Books, 1988
Genre: Educational; fiction
Ages: 1-6

Synopsis: This book is about a group of children in South Africa. Their fathers have been working in the mines for 10 months, and the story opens on the day they are supposed to come home. The kids excitedly bathe and go to school, and then rush to the crossroads to wait. They sing and dance and play instruments, and then settle in to wait. They wait all afternoon and all night, but no fathers come home. Then, early the next morning, a truck pulls up with their fathers, and they march and sing the whole way home.

Reaction?: I liked how the fathers were late, adding a little bit of tension to the story and encouraging me to read further. The illustrations were well done; the expressions on the boys' faces were very telling. However, I got the feeling as the story went on that the illustrator just got lazy and wanted to hurry and finish the book, because the illustrations became less detailed, and the watercolor seemed more watered down. That could be just me, though.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the Crossroads by Rachel Isadora follows a group of children gathering st the village croosroads to welcome home their father's from months away working in far-off mines.

Isadora's colorful illustrations were created with watercolor paints. The illustrations convey emotion & action and are evocative of a segregated community in South Africa. My favorite images are community, water tap, washing, singing, playing, dancing, night, food, trucks and last picture.

The simple text and emotional, evocative illustrations show the ritural of children waiting for absent fathers to return from many months working in mines. The size of the illustrations and text make this a good choice as a read-aloud for groups. The illustrations reveal many details about life in this poor village, including the joy and anticipation of the children as they await their fathers. This is recommended for school and public library collections.

For ages 5 to 7.5, Africa, South Africa, families, diversity, multi-cultural, absent parent, patience, separation, read-aloud, and fans of Rachel Isadora.

[Tyra Denine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fathers can be absent for many reasons. It does not mean divorce or a family break-up. This book shows that even though a father may be absent, it may be only temporary and for good reason. In this book, the children of South Africa are waiting for their fathers to come home after being gone nearly a year to work in the mines to provide for their families. The children are excited and anxious for their return. Many of the fathers return as scheduled, but a few of the children are left alone at the crossroads and seem to be waiting for their fathers in vane. After a long and tiresome night of sitting on the road in the cold, bright an early the next morning their fathers finally arrive!

I love happy endings and this book will leave the readers and listeners in suspense wondering if something may have happened to the fathers to prevent them from coming back home. I like how the children found sticks, rocks, and strings to make instruments and played and sang to celebrate their fathers' return. It teaches that you do not have to have lots of money to be happy and that being creative goes a long way!

[Kandice Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the children in the South African village waiting for their fathers at the crossroads. The fathers have all be working at the mines for months. The children are beyond excited to have them home. They break out instruments and make their own instruments to sing along with one another. Seven of the children never leave the crossroads that day because they know that their fathers are coming home. Even though some others grow tired of waiting and return home these children do not. When the fathers eventually make it home during dusk the children are beside themselves. They all sing and hug with their fathers on their way home. This is a good book to read to children to teach them about a different culture. It is a great way to show them that there are people who live different lives than we do.

[Jessy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was about a group of African siblings and friends waiting for their fathers to come home. They played music together and sang to keep high hopes. Many of the town folk also join in to play along to keep the positive feelings going. The father's of the children have been gone for ten months working in the coal mines. The children out all night waiting for their father and some stay up to see the sun rise again. Just when they had lost hope, a truck comes with their family.

The illustrations show these children living in refugee style homes on a nearly uninhabitable piece of land. I think students would see this and understand how fortunate they truly are. It would also show that they shouldn't take for granted the many conveniences of our lives today.

[Eric Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard for me to classify this book for use in a classroom. There will be many questions generated by this book about poverty and life in South Africa that the book does not attempt to address. The teacher will have to study up on these issues before presenting the book. The plot is also very simplistic, like you would find in a book for much younger children, but the questions generated by the book might be difficult for younger children to understand.

It's not a bad book by any standard, and it is well-illustrated, I just do not see room for it in my classroom as I cannot find a good age fit for it.

[Shannon Wick]

At the Crossroads by Rachel Isadora wonderfully portrays through the use of vibrant colors and texture the anticipation of South African children gathering to welcome home their fathers who have been away for ten months working in the mines. Written at a 1.9 reading level, this book can be relevant to children not only in South Africa, but all around the world as parents leave for work to support their families.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very simple little story, but something about it touched my child when they were 3 - maybe it was just the idea of these kids waiting up for their fathers, that this is something that might connect children no matter where they live or what their situation. My child is now 6 but got very excited when we uncovered this on a bookshelf and wanted me to read it again. I could kind of remember the magic, but it does seem aimed at younger kids, 3 - 5 maybe.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about the families of mine workers in South Africa. Children waiting for their fathers who are away for ten months out of the year working to provide for families who live in shanty towns near by, but are not permitted near the mines. A good book to use when teaching students about families from difffernt cultures.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of six children in a township in South Africa waiting for their fathers to return home from working in the mines. Bright, colorful watercolors portraying joy and anticipation as the children wait.

[Lidra West · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!! this is a beautiful story. I would use this book to teach my children about waiting patiently. Good thing do come to those that wait. These beautiful children waited patiently for their fathers to come home and they came in due time.

[Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about children that are poor and live in africa.Their dads are mining far away from where they are.So the night they are supposed to come back they wait all night.So they sing and they sing.They are getting really tired.They finally come This is a perfect multicultural book.

[Shelby]

This book is about children who are really poor and dont really have a home. Also there fathers work very far away,and tonight there fathers were coming home. They stayed up all night singing and waiting for there fathers to arrive. This is a good multiculture book.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

South African kids are waiting for their fathers to return from out of town work (after 10 months). It was an eye opener for my son, that parents can be away working for so long. We discussed how this is applicable to American kids whose parents are soldiers, too.

[Sarah M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book introduces the standard of living in other countries. The author does a great job at showing the life style of villages in Africa. The book shows how sometimes families must go through long periods of separation to survive. The book could be used for a unit on culture and life styles.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of boys are awaiting their father's return from working in the mines. They wait, and wait, and wait, until finally their father's arrive back home.

I would use this book to teach about diversity.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A warm and heartfelt story about children waiting for their fathers to return from the mines. A great story to allow children to enter a completely different - but REAL - reality faces by children in other parts of the world. Wonderful illustrations, also.

[Cws]

JEAR1--Isa