The Doorman's Repose

"It doesn’t seem quite fair that Chris Raschka, so adept at telling stories pictorially, should be equally brilliant at telling them with words, but he is.  What is it really like to live in the greatest city in the world?  Read this tribute to the human and animal tenants of a quirky old apartment building in uptown Manhattan and you’ll know.  The Doorman’s Repose is funny and moving and what those of us who write for young readers all secretly aspire to and almost never pull off: a book that will be devoured and cherished by kids and parents alike." —Tor Seidler "O. Henry proposed four million New York stories, but he was off by ten: the droll and expressive episodes offered in Chris Raschka’s The Doorman’s Repose. Set in an Upper East Side apartment building at a smart address, Raschka’s stories use comic understatement alongside ink wash illustrations in retailing everyday moments in the interconnected lives of residents both high and low. To the company of ur-New Yorkers like Stuart Little, Harriet the Spy, and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, let me hold open the door for The Doorman’s Repose. A new favorite." —Gregory Maguire “Raschka’s genius lies in capturing the essence of situations that are deeply felt by children.” —School Library Journal