A fairy godmother who is slightly hard of hearing wreaks arithmetic havoc in this original fairy tale from Babbitt (Ouch!, 1998, etc.). Elsie’s mother says that she has been behaving well—“she didn’t always do what she should, before.” But the fairy godmother hears, “she should be four,” and with a whisk of her wand, Elsie immediately becomes four Elsies. Elsie’s horrified father cries, “No, wait!,” and the fairy godmother turns the four Elsies into eight, and flies away. Chaos ensues, as all the Elsies fight over what was once just right for one Elsie, and when “it was time for bed, Papa and Mama couldn’t keep track of which Elsies they had hugged and which they hadn’t.” The quarreling among the eight Elsies becomes so great that the entire family is run out of town, until they meet the fairy godmother, who, with the help of the cat, restores the family to their proper number—well, almost. The illustrations are done in muted watercolors, and depict an old-fashioned fairy-tale village located in some northern European landscape. The fairy godmother herself is black in her features, but not otherwise culturally distinct. The real stars of the story are the Elsies, who scowl, shout, quarrel, and make mischief with octupled abandon. While the illustrations are quite nice in composition and background, many of the figures and facial expressions are static, resulting in a sometimes awkward look to the paintings. Still, the slyness with which Babbitt captures the Elsies’ many moods compensates, and moreover, the concept of a suddenly multiplied self, with its many advantages and disadvantages, is sure to appeal to youngsters. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7868-0900-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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