The Jones Family Express

Review
By School Library Journal

An engaging, slice-of-life story… Steven’s story, while well told and filled with believable characters, basically serves as Steptoe’s model train — a blank slate on which to layer his impressive collages of newsprint, stamps, photos, ribbon, cut paper, and hand-drawn faces. From Ms. Ruby’s Jamaican gift shop to Uncle Charles’s cluttered basement, the art spills over Carolyn’s handwritten postcards, bustling with the rhythm and energy of urban life. Young readers will identify with Steven’s struggle to choose a perfect present and his excitement over Aunt Carolyn’s invitation for him to join her travels — but it is the illustrations that will cause them to linger over this book and delight in the colorful details. The collage of personalities in The Jones Family Express celebrates extended family and community in a fresh, authentic way.