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A MOUNTAIN OF MITTENS

Name: A MOUNTAIN OF MITTENS
Author: Lynn Plourde
ISBN: 978-1-57091-585-7

by Lynn Plourde & illustrated by Mitch Vane ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2007

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Where do all those lost mittens go? Despite Mommy’s warning not to leave her mittens at school, young Molly does, but for a good cause: She uses them to warm up a shivering turtle in her classroom’s terrarium. Mr. Jolly, her teacher, rescues them and puts them on the lost-and-found pile, prompting the refrain, oft-repeated, “Mittens, mittens, my, oh, my, a mountain of mittens piled up high.” In subsequent days, Mommy tries Velcro, crocheting, duct tape, etc., to keep Molly from losing her mittens. Apparently, it’s a school-wide epidemic: When the principal Mrs. Folly announces that students will not be able to leave the school without mittens, she triggers a rush on the mitten pile, as well as a hilarious disaster. Vane’s busy illustrations—in watercolor and dip-pen and India ink—are full of quirky additional jokes. A happy and sublimely silly tale—but why is a book about mittens publishing in the summer? (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: July 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-1-57091-585-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Charlesbridge

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2007

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW TO TALK MONSTER
by Lynn Plourde ; illustrated by Mike Lowery

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BOY WHOSE FACE FROZE LIKE THAT
by Lynn Plourde ; illustrated by Russ Cox

- BOOK REVIEW
GO, GRANDPA, GO!
by Lynn Plourde ; illustrated by Sophie Beer

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THERE'S A COW IN THE ROAD!

by Reeve Lindbergh & illustrated by Tracey Campbell Pearson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1993

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``...She's a big one too,/Browsing on blossoms/Drenched with dew.'' In spritely verse, a child getting ready for school reports the drama accumulating outside her Vermont farmhouse window: traffic halts, minutes pass, and more animals congregate- -plus a paperboy treed by ``...a goat in the road! At the edge of our drive/As I pull on my socks/At seven-oh-five.'' By the time the school bus comes at ``seven forty-four,'' there are half a dozen noisy, friendly creatures waiting with the kids. The cadence propels the verse like a well-oiled ticking clock, while Pearson's dancing lines and effervescent watercolors embroider the humor at every turn, from a heap of toy animals on the little girl's bed—as numerous as those outdoors—to the cheerful crowd waving goodbye at the end. A joyous, comical pacesetter for a busy morning. (Picture book. 4-7)

None None

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993

ISBN: 0-8037-1335-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1993

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
HOMER THE LIBRARY CAT
by Reeve Lindbergh & illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf

- BOOK REVIEW
MY LITTLE GRANDMOTHER OFTEN FORGETS
by Reeve Lindbergh & illustrated by Kathryn Brown

- BOOK REVIEW
THE VISIT
by Reeve Lindbergh & illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin

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TUKAMA TOOTLES THE FLUTE

A TALE FROM THE ANTILLES

adapted by Phillis Gershator & illustrated by Synthia Saint James ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1994

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From St. Thomas, a cautionary tale about a heedless boy who narrowly escapes being eaten by a two-headed giant when he beguiles the giant's wife with his music. The story will need introducing, since neither title nor jacket painting hint of the drama within; it's a wonderful read- or tell-aloud, with colloquial dialogue, lots of repetition, and a satisfying symmetry in the way Tukama is lured, step by step, into the giant's clutches (``Get on my big toe, and play that song for me again.'' ``Jump on my knee.'' ``Climb up on my chest, and play that song louder''), and then, bit by bit, persuades the giant's wife to let him out of the bag in which he's imprisoned. Tukama's bouncy little songs are repeated so often that listeners will quickly learn them. Saint James's oil paintings combine large areas of bold, uninflected color, figures with featureless faces, and parallel brushstrokes suggesting palm fronds, light-flecked ocean billows, and jumbled rocks. An outstanding introduction to a less well-known folklore. Endnote on sources and local references. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-7)