Second-grader Josie, with a new baby sibling, finds out that her parents are having financial troubles; she wants to help by coming up with an idea so “wonderful, fabulous, terrific” that it will not only solve their problems, but prove once and for all that she’s a more helpful girl than her cousin and rival, Mary Jane. And Josie doesn’t lack for ideas. In quick succession she plants a vegetable garden so that her folks won’t have to spend money on greens, writes a bogus letter of complaint in an effort to get free goods, and attempts to win a contest for a baby stroller. In this gently humorous tale from Singer (Stay True, 1998, etc.), all Josie’s efforts backfire. She ruins her mother’s flower garden by mistaking tulip bulbs for onions, gets chided for dishonesty when a diaper company responds to her fraudulent letter by sending her a truckload of disposables, and loses the stroller contest. The story culminates in a satisfying fashion; Josie learns several predictable but important life lessons. It’s sweet and smooth, with the rivalry between Josie and Mary Jane spicing up the plot. (Fiction book. 6-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-76339-3
Page Count: 92
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
Lunge-Larsen and Preus debut with this story of a flower that blooms for the first time to commemorate the uncommon courage of a girl who saves her people from illness. The girl, an Ojibwe of the northern woodlands, knows she must journey to the next village to get the healing herb, mash-ki- ki, for her people, who have all fallen ill. After lining her moccasins with rabbit fur, she braves a raging snowstorm and crosses a dark frozen lake to reach the village. Then, rather than wait for morning, she sets out for home while the villagers sleep. When she loses her moccasins in the deep snow, her bare feet are cut by icy shards, and bleed with every step until she reaches her home. The next spring beautiful lady slippers bloom from the place where her moccasins were lost, and from every spot her injured feet touched. Drawing on Ojibwe sources, the authors of this fluid retelling have peppered the tale with native words and have used traditional elements, e.g., giving voice to the forces of nature. The accompanying watercolors, with flowing lines, jewel tones, and decorative motifs, give stately credence to the story’s iconic aspects. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-90512-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
This vibrant, thoughtful book from Katz (Over the Moon, 1997) continues her tribute to her adopted daughter, Lena, born in Guatemala. Lena is “seven. I am the color of cinnamon. Mom says she could eat me up”; she learns during a painting lesson that to get the color brown, she will have to “mix red, yellow, black, and white paints.” They go for a walk to observe the many shades of brown: they see Sonia, who is the color of creamy peanut butter; Isabella, who is chocolate brown; Lucy, both peachy and tan; Jo-Jin, the color of honey; Kyle, “like leaves in fall”; Mr. Pellegrino, the color of pizza crust, golden brown. Lena realizes that every shade is beautiful, then mixes her paints accordingly for portraits of her friends—“The colors of us!” Bold illustrations celebrate diversity with a child’s open-hearted sensibility and a mother’s love. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-5864-8
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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