Armed with a journal as red as her yippee-yi-yo cowgirl boots, loquacious Lucy Rose’s number one plan is to write about her never boring life. Lucy is energetic and positive, but her life is a realistic blend of fun and challenges. Kelly has created a likable girl with a depth that resounds in the diary, evinces Lucy’s true self and mirrors her world. Her observations are keener, revealing more than she understands. Each word opens and exposes Lucy’s life and character: her joy as she sings show tunes for an elderly audience in a nursing home; her tenacity as she works on a craft at Parks and Rec.; her creativity as she tries to save her grandparents’ apricots from the take-a-bite and spit-it-out squirrels; and her hope as she tries to influence her separated parents to stay together. This latter comes through the strongest; it’s her priority, so she pleads in her heart and tries to derail a divorce and effect a reconciliation. The ache is palpable in what she writes and leaves unsaid. Continuing what she started in Lucy Rose: Here’s the Thing About Me (2004), Kelly offers rollicking fun with genuine heartache, preparation for the real world. (Fiction. 8-9)
Pub Date: June 14, 2005
ISBN: 0-385-73204-X
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A skirmish over a favorite stuffed rabbit nearly destroys a friendship and the toy itself, but well-timed physical and emotional bandaging saves the day. When a little boy moves in next door to a little girl they quickly becomes friends and start sharing toys. This works well for cars, trucks, bears, and balls, but when the boy shows up with a new stuffed rabbit, cooperation goes out the window. In the ensuing tug-of-rabbit, each child yanks on the poor bunny’s ears until the stitching gives way. Figuring out a way to repair the rabbit also eventually patches up the friendship. Minor battles rage in homes and preschools everywhere, so children and adults alike will appreciate this subtle example of a peaceful resolution to toy disputes. Jahn-Clough’s pleasantly stubby children convey both healthy loud-mouthed anger and substantial charm. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-93545-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The poster boy for relentless mischief-makers everywhere, first encountered in No, David! (1998), gives his weary mother a rest by going to school. Naturally, he’s tardy, and that’s but the first in a long string of offenses—“Sit down, David! Keep your hands to yourself! PAY ATTENTION!”—that culminates in an afterschool stint. Children will, of course, recognize every line of the text and every one of David’s moves, and although he doesn’t exhibit the larger- than-life quality that made him a tall-tale anti-hero in his first appearance, his round-headed, gap-toothed enthusiasm is still endearing. For all his disruptive behavior, he shows not a trace of malice, and it’ll be easy for readers to want to encourage his further exploits. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-48087-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1999
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