Day: December 20, 2010

Pecan Pie Baby: Warm and Sweet

| Tasha

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Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Gia is not looking forward to the new baby coming.  In fact, she is sick and tired of hearing about the “ding-dang baby” all the time.  That baby is copying her and her mother’s love for pecan pie.  It’s going to take all of her old outgrown clothes.  So when Gia is told that the baby will come with the first snow of the year, she wishes a secret wish for no snow at all.  Her friends at school want to talk about the baby coming just like her aunties, who don’t have the time anymore to play tea party with Gia.  Finally, Gia has had enough and yells “I’m so sick of that ding-dang baby!” at Thanksgiving dinner.  She is sent to her room and when her mother comes up to talk with her, Gia finds out that her mother too will miss all of their special times alone together. 

Woodson’s writing skills translate finely into the picture book format.  She has created a very readable, very engaging book for all of the new siblings out there.  The depth of Gia’s feelings are an important piece of the story as are her worries about her entire life changing because of this interloper.  Nicely, Woodson does not feel a need to “fix” Gia’s feelings, instead she validates them and allows her the anger and concern.  In fact, the lack of a baby at the end and the resolution of Gia’s feelings is not here.  That makes it a much more powerful book.  Though snow has begun to fall as the book closes.

Blackall’s art is warm and rich, depicting a loving relationship between mother and daughter.  This relationship is at the heart of the book and is celebrated on almost every page.  Additionally, the multicultural children and adults make for a book that has a very inclusive feel to it.  

A warm and lovely book, this is an honest look at the conflicting feelings of expecting a new sibling.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Putnam.

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The 3 Little Dassies: An African Twist on The Three Little Pigs

| Tasha

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The Three Little Dassies by Jan Brett

This fresh version of the classic The Little Pigs tale is set in Namibia and features cuddly, cute dassies instead of pigs.  Dassies are also known as rock hyraxes or rock rabbits.  In this book, the dassies wear bright  colored dresses and Namibian headwear.  The story starts out with the three dassies heading out to find their own place to live.  The three sisters reach the feet of the mountains after crossing the Namib Desert and decide that it is a perfect place for their homes.  A friendly agama lizard welcomes them.  One sister builds her house of green grasses.  Another builds hers out of driftwood.  The third builds hers from rocks.  The wolf is replaced by an eagle intent on eating the dassies, who not only knocks over the grass and wood houses but takes the dassies up to his nest to be eaten.  The rock house stays up despite being buffeted by the wind of the eagle’s wings.  And the other two dassies find a unique way back to safety.  But the eagle does not give up easily, allowing Brett a great way to explain why eagles are black in Namibia.

Brett has created another of her trademark books.  The text reads aloud very nicely, with the rhyming names of the dassies, the rhythm of the classic tale, and the use of just enough detail to bring the Namibian setting to vivid life.  Of course Brett uses her illustrations to great effect here as well in creating Namibia on the page.  Readers will glimpse vistas across the desert sands and to the mountains.  Brett’s illustrations are finely detailed.  She uses images on either side of the main illustration to tell readers what is happening to others in the story.  Brett has framed the images with African textiles, beads, and native plants.  These are illustrations to spend time with an enjoy.

A clever take on a classic story, this new version will be a welcome addition with its feisty heroines and interesting setting.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Putnam.

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