Macmilan Publishing Co. ISBN: 0027517012.
Phoebe describes all of the different things she does with her Aunt Phoeber when she goes to visit her. They do everything from wading in fountains in the summer to ice skating in the winter.
The story is narrated by the younger Phoebe. She is revealed to be a happy and energetic child by the enjoyment and excitement she experiences when visiting her aunt. Aunt Phoebe is portrayed as patient and fun. She always has fun things planned when her niece comes to visit. Her patience and easy going nature are shown by how she lets the younger Phoebe paint the claws on her bathtub with fingernail polish.
While the plot is very simple and lacks a lot of action or any conflict, children will enjoy seeing all of the fun things Phoebe and her aunt do together. The setting is very important in this respect because many of the things they do together are specific to that area of Boston. For instance, they go to the Public Garden and ride boats in the warm weather and ice skate in winter. The illustrations are extremely important in establishing the setting. We see the three white houses in a row that Phoebe calls "The Brides." We also see them splashing around in one of Boston's public fountains.
The style of writing is quite appropriate to the story. The author uses a lot of figurative language and descriptive words that help paint a picture of Boston as an almost magical place. The author uses a lot of metaphors. Phoebe describes how the moonlight comes through the window and says "the walls around me turn to lace." Similes are also used. Phoebe says her aunt's lampshade makes the light "as soft as the moon in a blizzard."
The illustrations were done with soft watercolors. This adds to the dreamlike quality of the story. "The poetic text and light-filled watercolor illustrations show a world that's slightly eccentric without being exotic" (Booklist).
Booklist. 1993. Booklist. In Books in Print [database online]. Available from
http://www.booksinprint.com/bip. Accessed 9 September 2004.
