Runaway Row

Joan Buchanan is a writer, storyteller and instructor and author of
Taking Care of My Cold.

This is a book about an old row of houses in an industrial district who
“spen[d] their time gossiping about the families who live[...] in them
and watching the comings and goings at the factories.” Understandably,
the five little houses are upset when they learn that they will be
knocked down to make room for newer, larger factories. They think of a
way to escape.

I enjoyed the houses, having a life of their own, caring about the
families within their walls, and being indignant at the prospect of
being destroyed. The title is apt and the illustrations are detailed and
interesting. In the pictures, the factories sport amusing names such as
“Midnight Madness,” “Fine, Fine Soaps,” “Cloggo Shoes,” and
“B.Spoke Bikes.” Grater gives many other thoughtful touches to her
illustrations, which will undoubtedly have readers examining them
closely.

The concept of the book is highly imaginative and the vocabulary is
largely challenging and varied, but the plot could have been wackier. As
well, some sentences could have been tightened and made more active
simply by restricting the number of “were’s” and “was’s.”