Will You Cross Me?

by Marilyn Kaye

Two friends living on opposite sides of the street must rely on passersby to help them cross the street to play with each other.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

I was born in New Britain, Connecticut, and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. I also spent a year (5th grade) in Montgomery, Alabama, and a year in Ann Arbor, Michigan(8th grade). As a child, I always wanted to be a writer, but I had lots of other ambitions too. I wanted to be a teacher, a librarian, a movie star, the president of the United States, and a ballerina.

I didn't achieve all my goals. I never became a movie star, the president of the U.S., or a ballerina. But I've been a teacher and a librarian and most of all, a writer. I've been writing for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always kept a diary. I wrote poems, stories, plays, songs and lots of letters. Writing wasn't easy for me, but it felt natural and right.

I've always read a lot, too. I was an English major at Emory University (I love Shakespeare), and I also received a master's degree in library science at Emory. I earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago, and I taught children's and teen literature at St. John's University in New York for over 20 years. Now, I'm a full-time writer, living in Paris, France - the most beautiful city in the world.

Reviews

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dullsville. Maybe city kids will be amazingly receptive to this, but I remain skeptical.

[☆Brittany☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't too crazy over this story because it gave the wrong message to kids.

The gist of the story was okay, it was about how the two boys (Sam & Joe) lived on opposite sides of the street and in order to play with each other one or the other had to cross the street to play with the other.

Every time they wanted to cross the street they asked strangers to help them across. They never went and asked their parents just strangers. Their parents weren't even mentioned until the end of the story where Joe's mom stuck her head out of the window and told him to come in. Apparently she was too lazy to come outside to watch her kid and definitely too lazy to hold his hand and walk him across the street.

Instead both boys kept asking random strangers to walk them across the street - some would help them and some wouldn't.

Thankfully my kid is too young to really understand what I was reading to him but to kids who are older who can understand I think this story sends the wrong message. It's basically saying it's okay to ask anyone to help you across the street. For all they know they could be asking a pedophile to help them across the street or a kidnapper or a kidnapping pedophile (:D) to help them and then what???

After I finished the book I told my son how he shouldn't cross the street alone but that he should ask his mommy or daddy to help him not some random person.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently, I learned to read thanks to this book. I got a copy for Christmas to remember that magic, but I had forgotten everything about it. The ending is…abrupt? But I like the banter between Joe and Sam and the artwork is pure nostalgia.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

There isn't much to this book, but it is interesting to realize there was a time when kids might have asked strangers to help them cross the street and it would have been seen as a safety measure rather than the Most Dangerous Thing Ever.

[Devin L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two young boys want to play catch with each other, but they can't cross the street by themselves. This is appropriate for beginning readers.