Snowsuits, the bane of every child’s snow-filled days, are the focus of this hilarious tale. Poor Lucille just wants to frolic in the snow with her older siblings, who are stylishly attired in sleek snow pants and parkas, complete with jaunty little hats. However, Lucille’s mother decrees she must wear her dreaded snowsuit, and Lasky (First Painter, see above) comically captures the epic struggle required to get one reluctant tot into it. Lucille’s tussle with her attire entails all the calamities that can befall youngsters endeavoring to dress themselves; a jammed zipper, a sock that mysteriously disappears into the abyss of a pant leg—resulting in one overheated piglet. “ ‘I’m hot. I’m sweating. My sock’s lost. My zipper’s stuck. I hate snowsuits!’ Lucille roared.” Lucille’s mother is almost saintly in her compassionate but unyielding stance, gently coaxing her frustrated child to don her suit. Eventually the steamy piglet is lured outside for some snow play and Lucille makes a miraculous discovery. Toasty in her snowsuit, she outlasts her siblings in the frosty air. While Franklin and Frances retreat indoors to defrost, Lucille is free to enjoy the splendor of a winter’s day. Hafner’s boldly colored illustrations are uproariously funny, deftly conveying Lucille’s evolving moods through her body language and facial expressions, giving readers a real sense of her personality. Mothers everywhere will send up a cheer for this wonderfully funny tale that shows mother does know best. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-517-80037-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2000
Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
At her best, Rylant’s (The Ticky-Tacky Doll, below, etc.) sweetness and sentiment fills the heart; in this outing, however, sentimentality reigns and the end result is pretty gooey. Pandora keeps a lighthouse: her destiny is to protect ships at sea. She’s lonely, but loves her work. She rescues Seabold and heals his broken leg, and he stays on to mend his shipwrecked boat. This wouldn’t be so bad but Pandora’s a cat and Seabold a dog, although they are anthropomorphized to the max. Then the duo rescue three siblings—mice!—and make a family together, although Rylant is careful to note that Pandora and Seabold each have their own room. Choosing what you love, caring for others, making a family out of love, it is all very well, but this capsizes into silliness. Formatted to look like the start of a new series. Oh, dear. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-689-84880-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
