``...even if Eileen was horrible sometimes, she was still Josie Smith's best friend,'' concludes this fourth book about a little girl who lives with her mother in an English village. In three long chapters, Josie inadvertently ends by having an impromptu picnic birthday after her mother says they can't afford a party; weathers homesickness when she's left for two nights with Eileen, who has a notably unsympathetic mother; and is unexpectedly given a real bride's bouquet at the end of a day she's spent making costumes and bunches of dandelions in emulation of a neighborhood wedding in which Eileen is taking part. Josie's small troubles and the complications resulting from her imaginative efforts to make up for ``Mom's'' lack of time and money invariably ring true; the lively dialogue, spiced with the petty insults normal children exchange, and the parents' failure to understand that good intentions often have mischievous results are perfectly believable. Simply told, unusually honest, and entirely childlike, fine for independent reading or for sharing with younger children, Josie continues to be a winner. Illustrations not seen. (Young reader. 5-10)
Pub Date: April 30, 1992
ISBN: 0-689-50534-5
Page Count: 96
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-91052-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
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