In lilting verse, Koller explains how Mouse starts a contented day of fishing, ``gazing, at ripples and dapples that giggled and babbled. While dozily drowsing, she dangled a hook.'' Suddenly, Mouse finds herself bravely landing a fish as big as she is; overwhelmed by its size, she telephones friend Squirrel, encouraging him to bring friends to share it. Merry verse in tow, the tale turns cumulative; in the end, Mouse has to send out for pizza (``with lots of anchovies'') to serve the crowd that shows up for what now looks like a small fish. The lighthearted fun is nicely reflected in O'Neill's cheery broken-line and watercolor illustrations. A fine read-alone, but the humor and catchy rhymes and rhythms especially recommend this for reading aloud. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-517-57814-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The jacket calls this a folktale from Borneo, while LC classifies it as fiction. Whichever, it's an appealing story similar to ``The North Wind and the Sun,'' with the fierce West Wind stirring up the sea and letting loose a typhoon in an effort to dislodge a little tree frog from his leaf—a small feat more easily achieved by his cousin, the East Wind, with a gentle breeze like a lullaby. Using rich, tropical colors, Shepherd contrasts the sharp-toothed, tempestuous West Wind and his turbulent wake with his cousin's amiable cloud-face and the sunny serenity he restores. Extra local color (mostly descriptions of wildlife) makes this a bit long, but it's entertaining enough to sustain attention. (Picture book. 5-8)*justify no*
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1991
ISBN: 0-02-719035-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1991
A little girl whose treasured memories of Grandma include sharing the trust of the shy cat that visited them on the dock at their summer home is comforted, the summer after Grandma's death, to find that the cat still comes—this time, with two new kittens. The text's sensitive understatement is nicely reflected in Owens's intimate points of view and soft colors. A well- structured, comforting story. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1991
ISBN: 0-8234-0896-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1991
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