1001 stories 1-929132-92-1 Publisher's Weekly

1-929132-79-4
Copley News Service (April 2006):

Young readers can visit exotic locales during daytime and night by pulling shutters on the unique pages of this engaging book. "At night, Kende falls asleep on a woolen carpet. By day, "He marches through the desert in step with the camels," begins the journey, which moves onto four other worldly regions as children pull tabs to make night turn into day. Still, the book is a smart bedtime visit, as the last page ends with several children sleeping. "At night - their eyes are closed. Shh! Good night," it says. Reluctant sleepers might benefit by seeing that children the world over rest peacefully at night.

KidsBookshelf.com:

Discover the night and day of five different children from across the world. Each page is beautifully illustrated to show where the child sleeps at night, then pull the tab to discover what the child does during the day. "At night, Melisse sways in her cotton hammock. By day...she braids rushes into baskets." We all share the rhythms of night and day, but we often do so in many different ways. A beautiful book for young readers.

Reading Rockets (December 2006):

This delightful bedtime story shares daytime activities and nighttime rituals from around the globe. Regardless of where they live, children play by day, laugh, and make lots of noise. At night, their eyes are closed. “Shh! Good night…”

NINA BONITA

1-929132-11-5

School Library Journal (December 1, 1996):

A young girl living in a coastal South American town has a blacker skin tone than any of her family members or playmates. A white rabbit, entranced by the girl's skin, "dark and glossy, just like a panther in the rain," implores her to reveal her beauty secrets. Nina Bonita, who doesn't really know why she's so dark, gives the rabbit three ridiculous possibilities, which he duplicates with disappointing results. Persistently, the rabbit asks for a fourth explanation and the final one is provided by the girl's mother-the child is the same color as her black grandmother. The white rabbit, satisfied with a truthful answer, proceeds to marry a black rabbit and produce a plethora of children of various hues. With its unique setting and engaging characterizations, this gentle and entertaining exploration of mixed-race families is appealing. Soft, colored-pencil illustrations depict Nina Bonita and the rabbit in the larger context of a diverse village where people live comfortably despite superficial differences. This translation has retained the rhythmic cadences of the Spanish language, making it suitable for reading aloud.

Publishers Weekly (2001):

This enchanting story of diversity, in which a very white rabbit falls in love with a very dark girl and longs to discover the secret for being so dark and pretty, juxtaposes soft illustrations with simple text. It is perfect for reading alone or for group sharing.

Midwest Book Review (2001):

A beautiful young black girl's island home is featured in the story of a white rabbit's attraction to the black girl's beauty and its efforts to change its color. The black girl leads him on about the origins of her skin color until the truth comes out and Mr. Rabbit decides to make some changes to enrich his life.

Curled Up Kids (July 2006):

This utterly charming book tells the story of differences among us in a manner easily understood by young children. Nina Bonita has “eyes like two shiny black olives,” hair that is pitch-black and curly, and skin that is “dark and glossy like a panther in the rain.” When her mother arranges her hair into tiny braids, she looks like a princess of Africa or “a fairy from the Kingdom of the Moon.”

One day a white rabbit with pink ears and dark red eyes inquires, “What is your secret? What makes your skin so dark and pretty?” Not sure how to answer, Nina Bonita says that when she was a baby, black ink spilled on her, so the rabbit pours black ink all over himself and sure enough he is black… for a while. Then the rain washes all the ink away.

Nina has another idea: “I drank lots of hot coffee.” The rabbit drinks so much coffee that he can’t go to sleep, but he doesn’t turn black. Then, “I ate lots of blackberries,” so he does, but he doesn’t turn black, although he does get a terrible stomachache. The rabbit is very discouraged until Nina Bonita’s mother chimes in, “She looks just like her grandmother!”

Suddenly the riddle is solved. The rabbit understands that if he marries a black rabbit, they will have bunnies in all shades of black, white and gray. And that’s exactly what happens: baby bunnies in every shade.

The softly-colored illustrations of Nina’s seaside life give subtle nuance to a story that explains color most imaginatively and with great wisdom, a simple lesson easily learned about differences and acceptance.

ON MY WAY TO BUY EGGS

1-929132-49-2

*Publishers Weekly (Monday, August 25, 2003):

In the age of malls and Wal-Marts, a Taiwanese girl's blithesome errand feels like a joyful celebration of childhood. Young Shau-yu relishes the simple pleasures of her walk. She "follows the cat's shadow. He's walking on the roof." In the artwork, Chen depicts their shadows aligned on the sidewalk. He honors this unassuming tale with a homey, natural look composed of line drawings and cut, corrugated paper, and adheres to a central palette of olive, gray and brown tones. So when the heroine gazes through a blue marble, and Chen transforms the spread into an azure-colored environment, readers see what she sees: "The world becomes a blue ocean world. `I am a little fish, swimming in the big, blue sea.' (Shau-yu means `little fish.')" Shau-yu stepping on falling leaves sounds like "people eating crunchy cookies." And when she dons a pair of glasses she finds, the shopkeeper plays along ("And maybe your little girl, Shau-yu, would like some chewing gum?") After a series of these small, gem-like moments, Shau-yu returns with the eggs her smiling father has requested, telling him, "Hello! I've had such a busy day." Chen's streamlined, blocky style keeps the focus on the human interactions and emotions, rather than the setting. With gentle humor, this timeless tale demonstrates how children largely live in-and appreciate-the moment.

School Library Journal (Wednesday, October 1, 2003):

Shau-yu's imagination soars as she sets off on a simple errand. Shadows become tightropes to walk, a marble transforms the world into a sea of azure, leaves sound like crunchy cookies, and a pair of glasses found on the street demands to be worn in the ever-widening world of possibilities that the child creates. Chen used collage, paper cutting, and charcoal to produce surprising perspectives-spaces and angles echo the youngster's flights of fancy. The artwork is primarily rendered in browns, grays, black, and white, with touches of bright color accents. This universal tribute to the power of a child's imagination will strike a familiar chord with dreamers everywhere.

Booklist (October 15, 2003):

In this award-winning import from Taiwan, a young girl's errand to the store turns into a sensory adventure. On her way to buy eggs for her father, young Shau-yu follows a cat's shadow, views her neighborhood through a blue marble, and discovers a pair of glasses that turns her world blurry. After a make-believe game with the shopkeeper and more adventures along the way, Shau-yu returns home to her loving dad. The story is basic, but the simple words and phrases easily show Shau-yu's delight in transforming small things. The earth-tone colors in the crisp paper-and-pencil collages are as quiet as the story, but like Shau-yu's walk, the excitement is in the subtle details and creative perspectives. The beautifully drawn scenes, first washed in blue and then blurred into charcoal smudges, show Shau-yu's view as she peers through her blue marble and then through found eyeglasses. A joyful, understated story for classroom or lap sharing.

Hornbook Guide to Children (Thursday, January 1, 2004):

Sent to the store to buy eggs, Shau-yu takes a circuitous walk through her neighborhood. Though the narrative in this Taiwanese import is in the third person, the perspective is completely that of a small child. The art--a combination of paper cutting, collage, and line drawing--is spare and clean. Text and illustrations reflect both the richness of a child's inner life and the way children experience the outside world.

ON THE ROAD

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Kirkus Reviews (Saturday, January 15, 2005):

In this vehicle-rich road trip, the burgeoning travel and automobile enthusiast will like what he sees: a road crowded with cars, vans, semi-trucks, dump trucks, emergency vehicles, motorcycles, cement mixers, and various and sundry roadwork machinery. All of these vehicles come complete with roadway accessories such as traffic lights, bridges, and tunnels. It quickly becomes clear that the little red car has a destination: "Off we go along the road." Its journey takes it around the city and countryside, heading up hills, around corners, and over fields before reaching its final, sandy destination. Young readers probably won't be bothered by the fact that this is obviously British, but it is worth noting the differences like license-plate lettering and driving on the other side of the road. The straightforward and spare text won't challenge young readers, but it does offer a little lesson in prepositions. Extra zoom comes through the vividly colored, torn-paper illustrations that fill the oversized pages and almost crunch with texture.

School Library Journal (April 2005):

Vehicles and more vehicles are what readers see as they follow a British family driving in city traffic, through the roadworks, past grazing cows, and finally to the sea. Along the way, they are introduced to a plethora of prepositions (e.g., up, down, around, into, under, across). The vibrant collage artwork is bursting with color: bold hues in the bustling city, serene shades and textures in the country, and the soothing colors of the seaside. Observant youngsters will notice that the steering wheels are on the right side of the cars instead of the left and that the license plates look different. Large type and few words per page encourage youngsters to explore and pore over the details. Children will be engaged whether being read to, or tackling this offering on their own.

ONE WOOLLY WOMBAT

0-916291-10-3

Publishers Weekly (Friday, March 13, 1987):

This zany counting book features Australia's creatures, from the title character to five pesky platypuses, and up to 14 slick seals.

The Christian Science Monitor (July 5, 1985):

…a stunning and unusual counting book…exquisite illustrations complemented by the wry, rhythmic text result in a book of award-winning quality.

Curled Up Kids.com (August 2006):

You don’t have to be from down under to enjoy this cute and colorful counting book. But it will have kids wanting to learn more about Australia once they meet the delightful animals that help them master the numbers from one to fourteen.

One Woolly Wombat is a simple book, but its choice of fun words and adorable creatures makes the act of counting so much more enjoyable. I mean, how can you not smile while watching Six Cheeky Possums Looking For A Treat, or Nine Hungry Goannas Wondering What To Cook? The illustrations by Kerry Argent are eye-candy for kids who may have never come across a kookaburra before.

This is one of those counting books kids will use until they’ve mastered their first batch of digits, and then will pass on to a lucky sibling ready to sail out to sea with fourteen slick seals.

THE PARK BENCH

0-916291-21-9

School Library Journal (June 1, 1988):

If Manet had turned to picture books, he might have produced The Park Bench. Suzuki's pictures, done in charcoal line and watercolors, are beautiful to behold, now misty, now hazy, the rich pastel colors contrasting vividly with judicious use of primary colors. The whole course of a day is subtly depicted; readers can actually tell the approximate time of day from the illustrations, so skillful is Suzuki's use of lighting. The bilingual text, however is another matter. The Japanese text is completely in hiragana, presumably so that a Japanese child could read its limpid simplicity with ease. The translation itself is literal in the extreme. In Japanese, it sounds onomatopoetic; in English, bald and boring. The story concerns the occurrences in the day of the life of a park bench, not the most thrilling plot line with which to start. The English translation is perfectly accurate, yet, like the reverse side of a brocade, fails utterly to convey the charm of the original.

PAUL AND SEBASTIAN

0-916291-49-9

School Library Journal (March 1, 1989):

In this translation of a French picture book, one boy's mother is prejudiced against those who live in trailers and another mother is prejudiced against those who live in apartments. As a result, each son is forbidden to play with the other. One day, the boys take refuge together during a storm. They share some food, exchange their jacket and sweater, and fall asleep. Their mothers arrive and mistakenly take the wrong son home in the dark. The next morning they discover the switch, and they become friends. Although the moral of this story is a positive one (even at the expense of poor parental role models), the execution of it is weak. The prose is repetitious and even absurd to an American ear, particularly when Sebastian's mother tells Paul to go away because he doesn't “smell of cleaning fluid or heating oil, or steak, or noodles” and that he “smells bad.” The art, in contrast, is colorful and simple with a pastel crayon look. The big-nosed humans are portrayed identically but with different colored moppy hair. While Paul and Sebastian may be acceptable on a didactic level, its literary value or appeal is questionable.

Publishers Weekly (Friday, October 14, 1988):

Paul and his mother live in a green trailer with blue curtains while Sebastian and his mother live in a blue apartment with green curtains. The two mothers look out their windows at the other's home, despising those who live differently than they do and warning their sons about playing together. But when a school picnic in the country is interrupted by a heavy rainstorm, Paul and Sebastian seek shelter in a little red cabin and quickly become friends. A mix-up occurs when the boys are found, much later that night: in the dark, Paul's mother takes home Sebastian and Sebastian's mother takes home Paul. When the boys are restored to their homes, the mothers realize how silly they have been and become friends. In a noncontroversial way, Ecudie introduces the universal problem of prejudice. Both in the text and in the illustrations, the similarities between the two boys and the two mothers are clear, and the reasons for disliking each other are trivial and arbitrary. With Wensell's buoyant scenes of urban life in full color, the story's exaggerations give it broadly comic appeal.

Curled Up Kids (February 2007):

As our communities become more diverse and the need for tolerance becomes increasingly important, it is reassuring to know that books such as Paul & Sebastian

by Rene Escudie, illustrated by Ulises Wensell are being written for the benefit of both impressionable young children and adults who have the potential to make such a tremendous impact on their lives.

When Paul’s mother, raising her son in a green trailer with blue curtains, and Sebastian’s mother, raising her son in a blue apartment with green curtains, forbid their children from playing with each other because of their differences, the children dutifully follow their parents’ instructions. As a society, it is unlikely we would admonish the children for listening to their parents since we encourage young children to follow, not question, authority figures. After all, we often tell our children, parents know what is best.

It is not until the children find themselves lost in the woods after becoming separated from their class on a school trip that they look to each other for comfort and solace, quickly forgetting the divisiveness initiated by their parents. From there they build a genuine friendship, blind to the differences their parents viewed as the justification for keeping them apart.

When the children are finally rescued but returned to their wrong homes, the sweet story continues to illustrate the importance of tolerance and the reality that children are born without prejudices but internalize those stereotypes and misconceptions communicated to them by their parents and their communities. Paul & Sebastian
by Rene Escudie, illustrated by Ulises Wensell is a simple but powerful reminder of our responsibility to not only learn these important lessons but to pass them along for the benefit of our children.
PAUL NEEDS SPECS

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Publishers Weekly (Monday, April 12, 2004):

In this tale of a common childhood ritual, an extrovert named Sally describes her younger brother's blurry vision. "Paul asked, `Has the world gone fuzzy, Sal?' `Nah,' I said. `It's probably your eyes.' " Sally, the classic know-it-all sibling, tells Paul he needs glasses, so he goes for an eye exam. Kelly, illustrator of the video game story Power and Glory, here making his picture-book debut, depicts the optometrist's office like a mad scientist's lab, with its dark purple walls and pink-and-green neon highlights; the slouching, squinty doctor looks a trifle sinister, despite his smiley-face lapel pin. As Paul tests various lenses, hallucinatory images and stretched-out text duplicate the experience of looking through bifocals. After Paul gets a prescription, Sally takes him to the store to choose frames. Kelly creates wildly active compositions of slashing lines, vibrating squiggles and electric colors. The orange endpapers, styled as an eye chart, spell out a seek-and-find game. Australian novelist Cohen (Condor) explores Sally's point of view and neglects Paul's perspective. At the conclusion, for instance, Sally wants readers to see Paul in his specs, but he hides. When she finds him, she accidentally knocks him into a creek: "Paul's a bit cross," she says, as he frowns and drips. "But as you can see, the specs look good." Sally, who has 20/20 vision, hogs the stage; the intense illustrations exude her personality. Paul's shyness, which says much more about getting glasses, unfortunately goes unexamined.

School Library Journal (Saturday, May 1, 2004):

During the course of a year, Paul's eyesight gradually becomes blurry and out of focus, so his older sister takes him to the eye doctor. With his new glasses, everything is clear again, but the boy is so self-conscious about his specs that he hides. It is unclear who the "we" is when Sally goes looking for him-presumably it's the reader she's inviting to go along, but some children may find this confusing. Also, they are likely to question the lack of any adult presence or intervention. Pages are filled with busy, garishly colored psychedelic images of distorted visions. Intended to be reassuring, this story may have the opposite effect.

Playthings (March 2004):

…Tells the tale of a young boy who, after tripping over his toys, must pay a visit to the optometrist. Wacky illustrations depict what happens when Paul tries on glasses o see which pair suits him best. And for Paul, seeing is believing.

PESCADITO

(Libros del Mundo)

978-1-933605-39-5
Criticas (February 2007):

Rosa is bored. At the beach she observes a clever little fish (Pescadito) who seems just too quick for the hungry pelicans, when suddenly it jumps right into her lap. She takes him home, where he grows with every turn of the page. She cooks ever more elaborate meals for him as he outgrows ever larger vessels. The little fish is about the size of a whale when her grandmother says enough is enough, so Rosa and her friends carry the Pescadito through the town and back to the sea, where he no longer has to fear the pelicans. The children have a party to celebrate his release. The delightful story abounds with elements of Central American culture, such as pan de muerto, Ave María, serapes, ocotillos. Full-color illustrations and large typeface make this book a wonderful addition for schools, libraries, and bookstores.

THE PHANTOM MUDDER

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KidsBookshelf.com:

Jack Russell, Dog Detective, is back. And this time he's on the case of the Phantom Mudder. While Sarge, Jack's human landlord, is working as a steward at the Doggeroo Dog Show, Jack discovers that someone has been covering all the show dogs in mud just before their performance. Who would want to mud the dogs, and who could the mudder be? Jack uses his handy sniffer, his dog smarts, and the help of his friends to track down the Phantom Mudder! An exciting and fast paced chapter book young readers will enjoy!

Suite 101 (January 10, 2007):

The Phantom Mudder, by Darrel and Sally Odgers, brings back all our favorite characters from the first book, Dog Den Mystery. First and foremost, there is Jack, dog detective and super-sniffer. Foxy is also back and is now the full-time companion to Auntie Tidge.
In this latest book, Sarge and Jack are helping out at the dog show in Doggeroo. However, when dogs start getting muddied right before their showing, Jack is on the case.
Who is dumping mud on the dogs and, most importantly, why? Jack has a major mystery to solve. With the help of his friends, Foxy and Red, he uses his super-sniffer and the process of elimination to solve the mystery of The Phantom Mudder.

The Jack Russell: Dog Detective series are excellent books for children who are beginning to read chapter books. The books have no violence or bad language in them. In fact, they are a true pleasure to read and children love the characters and plot.

PLAYING WITH STUFF: OUTRAGEOUS GAMES WITH ORDINARY OBJECTS

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Publishers Weekly (Monday, February 2, 2004):

Several titles invite kids to engage in a variety of games and activities. With plenty of oddball ideas, Playing with Stuff: Outrageous Games with Ordinary Objects by Ferry Piekart and Lars Deltrap may well keep kids occupied throughout their formative years. On the premise that everyday household items have limitless playtime potential, The author offers rules to such games as "Water Waddle," a race in which contestants tuck cups of water inside their socks; and "Scatter Clatter," a take on Hide and Seek wherein all players tape pebble-filled soda cans to their feet-in short, irreverent, zany games that kids will wish they had invented.

School Library Journal (Tuesday, June 1, 2004):

The premise of this slim volume is that game playing should be inventive. The author often derides "boring" and "ordinary" pastimes and makes wry comments about parents. All 34 games are played with or made from items generally found around the house like bottle caps, pieces of cheese, old calendars, soda cans, sliced-up plastic pop containers, straws, furniture, and old toys. Some of the ideas are quite creative; others have potential for creating problems. For example, "Story Boardy" requires that toilet paper be unrolled throughout the entire house. Players are to draw lines and write instructions with magic markers on the squares. Hopefully, this "board" is not created on pale-colored carpets. Quirky drawings accompany the activities. Unfortunately, the small-size type is difficult to read, especially when printed on a colored background.

Booklist (Thursday, April 1, 2004):

Originally published in the Netherlands, this sturdy, large-format paperback describe games that children can play with everyday materials such as plastic cups, bottle caps, furniture, and umbrellas. While not every activity lives up to the descriptor "outrageous," kids will find plenty of zany, original ideas here. Story Boardy uses people as playing pieces in a board game on a monumental scale. After rolling their dice, the players move along a "board" made by unwinding a roll of toilet paper through every room in the house and writing instructions for the people who land on certain squares. Frozen Towers involves building with ice cubes, which grow increasingly slick and uncooperative as the game progresses. Given the quirky humor of the presentation, just reading about the games can be fun. Colorful, droll artwork adds to the book's offbeat charm. A rousing, original presentation for those who want to play outside the box.

PURPLE HAIR? I DON’T CARE!

0-916291-55-3

Doorway.com (April 1998):

Absolutely fun-filled and heart warming, this rhyming tale reassures children that parental love is universal.

SAVING SINBAD!

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Booklist (December 15, 2002):

Foreman's real-life knowledge of a tiny fishing village (he grew up in one in Suffolk) underscores this exciting story. Having accompanied his master to work on the church rooftop, a dog describes the village below, which is perched on the edge of the sea. Suddenly, the dog sees everyone run to the harbor. A distress rocket has gone off. The dog joins the running crowd, describing the village's lifeboat as it goes out to rescue a sinking sailboat and the dog's own efforts to rescue another dog struggling in the waves. Foreman's watercolors give a dog's-eye view of both the heroics and of the aftermath, when the village is quiet once more. This is filled with the kind of machinery and action that fascinate some children. Connie Fletcher

Children’s Bookwatch (October 2002):

A truly enchanting children’s picture book about life in an English fishing village…a highly recommended addition to school and community library picture book collections for young readers.

Hornbook Guide to Children (Wednesday, January 1, 2003):

A dog whose master belongs to a volunteer lifeboat crew tells how a quiet day turns exciting when a storm engulfs a sailboat and the rescue crew mobilizes. Details of the English fishing village and of the rescue machinery seem authentic in both the text and in the soft-edged illustrations of scenes often viewed from afar. The narrator dog's parallel rescue of Sinbad, a pooch aboard the sailboat, is less believable.

SAY PLEASE!

1-933605-16-2
Jellymom.com (September 2006):

Perfect and endearing.  A good choice for Pre-K.  A young princess learns that she can get what she wants when she uses her manners and says "please" and "thank you".  In no time your little one will fill in the blanks with the magic word as you read together.

KidsBookshelf.com (September 2006):

The rosy cheeked little princess often forgets to say please. After demanding her dinner and to go potty she is reminded to use her manners. It doesn't take long before the princess remembers to say please when she wants something, and she is also quick to remind others to do the same. A fun book about the importance of please and thank you that young readers will enjoy.

For Immediate Release (September 23, 2006):

The Little Princess has a problem. She forgets to say please! Fortunately, she has a bit of help to remind her... everyone from her mama, the Queen, to the chef, the guard, and even the slighty-scary-yet-lovable blue monster. And, in the end, she even teaches the blue monster something!

In this hilarious sixth book of Tony Ross' "Little Princess" series, children get a dose of positive reinforcement with the help of an adorable cast of a royal family and their help. The book has charming illustrations, with the emotions of the Princess clearly illustrated.

Children of all ages will enjoy this charming tale, freshly imported from England, where it has enjoyed eleven years of success. Now, we in America can too enjoy this book, which is a must for any home library or classroom.

Curled Up Kids.com (October 2006):

Tony Ross has added a sixth book to his Little Princess series, this time exploring the importance of manners in Say Please! Once again Ross simplifies critical lessons for children, builds a story around them, and uses his whimsical princess character to deliver the message.

In this book, the Little Princess has a lot of requests (or, perhaps more appropriately labeled, demands) only to realize that she will not receive them until she tacks “please” onto the end of her statements. Whether she wants dinner, her potty, her teddy, or to go for a walk, the Little Princess learns that her wishes are only granted when she asks for them politely.

Ross has created an incredibly inviting “Little Princess” character, prominently displayed on the covers and virtually every page of each of his books. With her curious eyes, red rosy cheeks and crown that has a permanent place on top of her head, Little Princess is able to maintain the interest of her legion of fans and attract new ones, each wondering what she will have to say next.

Say Please! is a great addition to the line of Princess books, and her fans will likely be counting the weeks until her next adventure hits bookstore shelves.
CSCL Picture Book Reviews (November 7, 2006):

Like so many children, Little Princess is learning to make use of her manners. Through repetitive reminders of etiquette, Little Princess displays triumphantly what she has learned by the end of the story line (“Say Please!”). Ross’ simple one-sentence structures on each page keep young readers on task. With his characteristic style, Ross (I Don’t Want To Go To Bed!) weaves mirrored childhood-like moments through his humorous and child-like paintings. He touches on the sensitivity of childhood through the use of softly colored paintings. This book is an excellent showcase of the relativity to childhood through subject matter as well as through the soft artwork.

Jen Robinson’s Book Page (November 14, 2006):

Say Please! is the sixth book in Tony Ross's Little Princess series, a set of brightly illustrated paperback picture books with very few words. In this installment, the young princess (who more resembles Max from Where the Wild Things Are than any ordinary fairy tale princess) is learning to say "please" when she wants something. She tends towards tantrums, with disturbingly red cheeks, but learns that if she wants dinner, or her stuffed animal, or to go for a walk outside, she must say please before anyone (the Queen or the General or the servants) will give her what she wants. Eventually, she learns her lesson well enough to pass it along to someone else (a funny-looking Beastie).
The illustrations in this book are a riot. The scene where the Princess wants her potty, and stands on her toes, with legs crossed, and a pained expression on her face, will be familiar to anyone who has known a recently toilet-trained child. Then the General and the cat stand at attention. On another page, there's a casually abandoned doll with a bandage on her face, and her head torn off. Ah, the callous indifference of youth! Overall, it's a simply story that makes a single point, but the illustrations make it enjoyable.
Children’s Books @ Suite 101.com (October 7, 2006):