PLB 0-06-024531-X An overlong story features a girl who has the equivalent of a nervous breakdown at a toy store. Grampa invites Molly to come with him to the city; he offers to take her to Flekman’s, “the biggest toy store in the world,” where she can pick out a present. It’s no surprise that Molly can’t make up her mind: camera, teddy bear, doll, or one of many games. Molly tries out everything (store policy) while the salespeople are a spirited bunch who keep things at a fever pitch. So unstoppable is the girl that Grampa has to order out for lunch, all the while reminding her that she has a one-toy limit. Molly tries to piggyback toys on other toys; she attempts to stuff several toys into one bag. Molly snaps and goes wild until the forces of authority—who have seen it all before—are called to restore order. Molly ends up on a couch in the back room, a cool damp washcloth draped over her face, while Grampa collapses. Her choice of toy, then, is that homely washcloth, a decision that lands her a job on Flekman’s creative team. Readers will feel as punished as Grampa by the end; although Egielski’s illustrations—looser and with flatter perspectives than usual—are well-done, he doesn’t turn that washcloth into anything that will excite envy or understanding. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: May 31, 1999
ISBN: 0-06-024530-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
There is something profoundly elemental going on in Smalls’s book: the capturing of a moment of unmediated joy. It’s not melodramatic, but just a Saturday in which an African-American father and son immerse themselves in each other’s company when the woman of the house is away. Putting first things first, they tidy up the house, with an unheralded sense of purpose motivating their actions: “Then we clean, clean, clean the windows,/wipe, wipe, wash them right./My dad shines in the windows’ light.” When their work is done, they head for the park for some batting practice, then to the movies where the boy gets to choose between films. After a snack, they work their way homeward, racing each other, doing a dance step or two, then “Dad takes my hand and slows down./I understand, and we slow down./It’s a long, long walk./We have a quiet talk and smile.” Smalls treats the material without pretense, leaving it guileless and thus accessible to readers. Hays’s artwork is wistful and idyllic, just as this day is for one small boy. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-316-79899-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
One of a four-book series designed to help the very young prepare for new siblings, this title presents a toddler-and-mother pair (the latter heavily pregnant) as they read about new babies, sort hand-me-downs, buy new toys, visit the obstetrician and the sonographer, speculate and wait. Throughout, the child asks questions and makes exclamations with complete enthusiasm: “How big is the baby? What does it eat? I felt it move! Is it a boy or girl?” Fuller’s jolly pictures present a biracial family that thoroughly enjoys every moment together. It’s a bit oversimplified, but no one can complain about the positive message it conveys, appropriately, to its baby and toddler audience. The other titles in the New Baby series are My New Baby (ISBN: 978-1-84643-276-7), Look at Me! (ISBN: 978-1-84643-278-1) and You and Me (ISBN: 978-1-84643-277-4). (Board book. 18 mos.-3)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84643-275-0
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Child's Play
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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