Laura's nemesis Veronica Ganz (Amy and Laura, 1966) has a whole book to throw her size around in but she's stymied from the start by new-boy-in-the-class Peter Wedemeyer, who's also the shortest. And quite possibly the canniest. Not only does he insult her ("Veronica Ganz/ Doesn't wear pants" etc., etc.) and block her fist with a basket of fish leavings, but his continued success at evading revenge threatens her tyranny over the class. It also disturbs Veronica more than the non-appearance of the father she hasn't seen in eight years, and much more than her yelling mother, her acquisitive younger sister, her chronically hiccupping little step-brother. Actually she feels defensive, even protective about them, which is the first clue to her bullying; and the merit of the full disclosure that she's extra tall and insecure about being a girl is that it comes to the reader just as it comes to Veronica—as the sum of a succession of rueful incidents. The most salient is her realization that Peter continues to tease her because he likes her, that she can tease him because she likes him; on the joyful note of "What a crier/ Is Peter Wedemeyer" we leave Veronica en route to reconciliation without losing face or her own distinctive features. If this reverse image recalls Mary Stolz' Bully of Barkham Street, that's all right as far as it goes—except that Veronica is less pitiable and this is less a psychological examination, more a total immersion. With laughter from deep down.
Pub Date: April 5, 1968
ISBN: 0595483941
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: May 8, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1968
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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