No matter what new homeowner Abby does, she just can’t seem to figure out a pleasing arrangement for her chair collection. She visits the local hardware store and paints them vibrant new colors. She visits the local fabric store, then reupholsters in cheerful prints and lace. She checks out a library book on furniture placement and follows its guidance. Nothing works. “Maybe I just have too many chairs,” she sighs sadly, and lugs them all to her front lawn along with a handmade sign: “Free Chairs.” Soon she’s visited by each of the friendly folks she met in her efforts. One by one, they each pull a chair up in the shade (chairs that, also coincidentally, fit their own personalities), and it becomes clear that empty chairs are meaningless until there’s someone to sit in them. Over-stuffed with homespun country charm, the effort’s simple yet tenuous lesson can’t overcome its contrived plot. Ultimately, the cozy-but-slight story and repetitive watercolor art will have a tough time interesting most bored-out-of-their-seats children with its adult characters, adult situations, and adult sentiments. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-8028-5205-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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