The Elevator Man by Stanley Trachtenberg

What do you want to be when you grow up?  Have you ever wanted to be an elevator man?

Well, Nathan wants to be exactly that.  In a story about changing technology and fulfilling your dreams, Stanley Trachtenberg tells the story of Nathan who wants nothing more than to be an elevator man.  The old-fashioned elevator of Nathan's apartment building requires an elevator operator who Trachtenberg names the Elevator Man.  Nathan dreams of working the elevator one day.  The Elevator Man has dreams, too: he dreams of becoming a doorman.  Just as the Elevator Man's maroon suit attracts Nathan, the white gloves of a doorman attract the Elevator Man.

The opportunity for both Nathan and the Elevator Man to pursue their dreams presents itself in a cladestine manner.  One day the elevator is closed for maintenance and the Elevator Man is gone for weeks.  .When the elevator is finally fixed, Nathan finds the Elevator Man has been replaced by a completely automatic machine.  He has no time though to mourn the loss of his friend, because when Nathan runs outside he sees has become the new Doorman!  And with Elevator Man's new position, that means there's a vacancy in the elevator man position.  Do you have a guess who fulfilled that position?  Yup, that would be Nathan.

Trachtenberg incorporates our changing technological world wonderfully with the plot.  He opens the way for children to think about how technology is changing the work force by exploring how an automatic elevator changed the Elevator Man's job (find link here for lessons about this theme).  Trachtenberg as well shares a story which shows that adults and children alike have dreams which they can fulfill.  When the Elevator Man's position became obsolete, he took the opportunity to pursue the job he had always wanted.  Adult readers can be inspired just as much as child readers to pursue the careers and lives they dream of.

Paul Cox's illustrations brings the 1950s time period alive with his heavy-lined, retro drawings.  The contrast of the heavy figure outlines with the soft water colors that fill the picture give both definition and flexibility to the reader.  The reader might find himself or herself lost in the blending of the watercolors allowing him to give his own definition to the details of the characters.

Trachtenberg first children's picture book proves to be a success by presenting the larger themes of changing technology and fulfilling dreams at a relatable level for children.  Trachtenberg's other works include essays on postmodernism.