A refreshing story about Mother’s Day features a terrifically thoughtful girl who comes up with just the right present. Charity, who is probably in first grade, hears from her teacher that there are two days until Mother’s Day. She starts thinking about a gift, dismissing silly suggestions. The next day, she views her multi-tasking mother handling toast, dishwasher, phone, and microwave, maintaining a harried, frantic pace. Anxiety keeps Charity awake Saturday night till she thinks of the perfect gift. She unplugs the clocks and turns off “everything that beeps or bleeps or buzzes.” The clever and homey text is illustrated with comic scenes that exaggerate the mother’s busy life without—for most households—making it absurd. Charity’s care in coming up with a present is subtly conveyed, making the lesson far more powerful. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8075-4955-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
From Powell (A Bold Carnivore, 1995) comes Gary Paulsen-like insight: Once a sled dog, always a sled dog, for although a Newfoundland named Cora is getting too old to pull, her owners can’t get the hearty dog to quit. Every Christmas the dogs help a mother, father, and Susan bring home a Christmas tree from the snowy woods. This year, Cora is not hitched up with the other two sled dogs in her bright red harness. She refuses to stay home, and follows the family into the forest. At first Cora gets underfoot; the family doesn’t understand what she is trying to do. But when the tree is selected, chopped down, and tied to the sled, Cora leads the other dogs—helping in spirit, if not in fact. Powell’s colorful woodcuts portray a crisp snow-filled north woods with deep blue shadows and green pines. The Yuletide setting is background dressing; the interactions of dogs and family predominate. An affectionate, unusual story. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8075-5968-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
PLB 0-06-028388-2 The Rockwells (Halloween Day, 1997, etc.) demystify a great American holiday for the preschool set. Among the mysteries revealed are why turkey is always on the menu along with cranberry sauce and corn bread. In simple, straightforward language, the author relates the history of the first Thanksgiving through the eyes of a preschooler. Students in Mrs. Madoff’s class enact a play about the events surrounding the first gathering; every character recites a piece of Thanksgiving lore while describing the things for which one can be grateful. Throughout the book, the generosity and goodwill among the Pilgrims and Wampanoag is underscored, providing a stellar example of how two disparate groups achieved a mutual goal of survival. The beguiling illustrations feature doe-eyed children and include several historical “snap shots” depicting events from the time of the first Thanksgiving. An agreeable, unbiased explanation of a cherished day. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1999
ISBN: 0-06-027795-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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