Five-year-old Ross longs to do many things his parents won't allow him to, from crossing the street by himself to getting a kitten of his own. Perpetually told that perhaps when he is six he will be allowed these things, he tries to act like a mature six-year-old would. One of the banner-carriers in his small town's Fourth of July parade, he determinedly carries on, even when he gets very tired and hot, and he eventually has his reward, in the form of six sparklers - something his mother initially told him he was too young to have...

Published in 1985 and long out-of-print, Fourth of July is a gently engaging picture-book about a common childhood experience - wanting to be older, and to do more mature things. Barbara Joosse, best known as the author of the immensely popular Mama, Do You Love Me?, set the story in her own hometown of Grafton, Wisconsin. The artwork from Emily Arnold McCully, who went on to win the Caldecott Medal for her Mirette on the High Wire, uses a color palette - black and white drawings, with various shades of red and blue coloring - that is fitting for the occasion. I don't know that this made a particularly strong impression upon me, but I did think it was sweet, and appreciated the child's-eye view, captured through Ross's first-person narration. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for titles for the Fourth of July, or featuring the childhood wish to be older. ( )