Partridge’s (Oranges on Golden Mountain, p. 56, etc.) story is sweet and gentle and, if it is not highly (or even remotely) original, it will give beginning readers some fast-clipping exercise. The tale, crowned by Weston’s (Owen Foote, Super Spy, p. 1424, etc.) affectionate illustrations, revolves around the efforts of a mouse, Bo, to surprise his friend Annie with a present of his own making. Moved by the beauty of the moon glowing in the winter night’s sky, Bo decides to bake a “full moon cake” for Annie. The cake is just ready to come out of the oven when Annie appears at Bo’s door wanting to go skating. When he can’t stall her any longer, “Bo ran out and slammed the door behind him. He smiled at Annie. It was a great big smile. It was a fake smile. Bo couldn’t fool his best friend. ‘Bo,’ said Annie. ‘What are you hiding?’ ” He admits it’s a surprise, but keeps the secret close. After he rushes home from the skating pond to get the present, Annie begins to worry why he is taking so long. She runs into him in the woods making his way to her house. Since it’s dark, and he was throwing a scary shadow, and she was relieved to see him, Annie gives him a big hug. Bo dumps the cake. Wisely, Annie gets some forks and they tuck in. It’s fun having friends no matter what the circumstances, and part of that fun could be reading this together, with its voice parts—veritable bursts of prose—for an amiable duet. (Easy reader. 5-8)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-525-46728-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2001
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
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