"While for most of the book, CJ is pestering his grandmother about the things they don't have, the book's centerpiece is a moment of peace and beauty: At his grandmother's urging, CJ closes his eyes to listen to a man playing guitar on the bus; Robinson portrays CJ in close-up, with the busy urban background replaced by simple shapes, bright colors, and animals in flight."
"Matt de la Peña: I'm going to lay out my argument for this page. Christian Robinson: Sure. Dan Kois: It's your SportsCenter Top 10 moment. de la Peña: I have to spend the majority of my time as a storyteller sinking into the background, just facilitating story. But there are moments in every project where you get to step forward and-OK, I gotta do the basketball analogy-it's a little bit more of a highlight. You get to do your thing."
Last Stop on Market Street won both the Newbery and Caldecott awards in 2015 and received the most votes from librarians, booksellers, and picture-book professionals among the 25 best picture books of the past 25 years. The story follows CJ and his grandmother on a bus ride after church, with CJ longing for things they lack and his grandmother pointing out the riches already present in his life. A key illustrated spread shows CJ closing his eyes to listen to a guitarist while the busy urban background gives way to simple shapes, bright colors, and animals. The book signaled that stories about working-class characters can achieve critical acclaim and broad resonance.
Read at Slate Magazine
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