A zealous seamstress very nearly misses out on her own wedding when she places the emphasis on her dress, not the occasion. It makes perfect sense that the “finest seamstress in Italy” would have ambitious dreams for her own wedding dress. Indeed, “Whenever Filomena stitched a wedding dress, she’d get a dreamy look on her face. ‘If this were my wedding dress,’ she’d sigh. . . . ” So when Filippo, the fix-it man across the plaza finally works up the courage to propose, Filomena happily accepts and starts in on her dress, leaving Filippo to his own designs. When the dress is finally finished, it is such an overdone horror that Filippo flees the altar, prompting Filomena to realize that she’s lost sight of what is really important about a wedding. Cantone’s (Zara Zebra Counts, not reviewed, etc.) mixed-media illustrations feature elongated, almost conical line-and-watercolor characters (each with a distinctly pronounced and delicately rouged nose) against wild backgrounds that mix collage elements with free-floating text (in English, for the most part). The wild-eyed Filomena and Filippo have a definite zany appeal, as does the spread in which a fleeing Filippo rides his scooter along a nuptial game-board path, a de-frocked Filomena in full pursuit. Hort’s translation, too, has considerable tongue-in-cheek zip: “She hustled out of her bustle.” But there’s something missing in the story itself: while little girls may have a fascination with weddings, the narrative has a distinctly adult sensibility. Filomena’s essential mistake—her preoccupation with preparations to the exclusion of her fiancé—is not one children will likely be able to relate to. This energetic Italian import may make a good gag gift for engaged couples—but not so great for its intended young audience. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-8230-1738-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2003
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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