Day: February 25, 2014

Review: Where’s Mommy by Beverly Donofrio

| Tasha

wheres mommy

Where’s Mommy? by Beverly Donofrio, illustrated by Barbara McClintock

Released March 11, 2014.

I am so pleased to see a follow-up story to Mary and the Mouse, The Mouse and Mary!  This new book focuses on the daughters of Mary and Mouse.  Maria is a little girl who has a mouse for a best friend named Mouse Mouse.  The two of them never reveal to anyone else that they know one another because otherwise the mice would either be driven off or have to move.  The two girls live parallel lives, getting ready for bed in the same way and both calling for their mothers at the same time.  But both mothers are nowhere to be found!  The search is on by both girl and mouse to figure out where their mothers have gone.  They both look all over their homes, check with their fathers, and ask their siblings.  Nothing.  Then they notice a light on in the shed and both head directly for it.  And if you read the first book, you will know exactly who they will find in the shed. 

Donofrio has written a clever parallel story that reveals the lives of two friends.  The upstairs downstairs aspect of the book has incredible appeal as does the wee details of mouse life.  There are little touches throughout the book that make the text charming and lovely.  Her pacing is also adept and keeps the entire book moving along and yet completely appropriate for bedtime reading. 

So much charm and style comes from the illustrations.  I particularly enjoy looking closely at the world of the mice created from borrowed items from the human home.  These little touches truly create a world under the floor that any reader would love to discover or live in themselves.  The illustrations are rich with color and details, worthy of lingering over when you aren’t quite ready for lights out.

Beautifully written and lovingly illustrated, this book is a suitable companion to the first.  They both stand alone fully on their own, but I’d think that anyone finding out there was another in the series would want to read them both, probably back to back.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from ARC received from Schwartz & Wade.

Review: Superworm by Julia Donaldson

| Tasha

superworm

Superworm by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler

The creators of The Gruffalo return with a silly new book that features one incredible worm.  Superworm is super-long and super-strong.  So when baby toad hops into the road, Superworm becomes a superworm lasso.  The bees are bored and moping?  It’s Superworm to the rescue with a game of jump rope.   When Beetle falls into the well, Superworm turns into a fishing line to get her out.  Everything seems to be going so well for Superworm, until a villain enters the story.  Wizard Lizard sends his servant crow to capture Superworm and then uses magic to force Superworm to dig for treasure underground.  But the others saw Superworm carried off and now it is up to them to be the heroes and save Superworm!

Donaldson writes in rhymes in such a playful and engaging way.  The result is a book that reads aloud beautifully and begs to be shared with children.  With the examples of the rescues that Superworm performed coming first, I was happily surprised when a villain was introduced and at the turn of events towards the end of the story.  It makes for a very dynamic picture book that is sure to be a hit at story time.

Scheffler’s illustrations hit just the right tone.  They are bright colored and he takes the rescues and the action to the perfect funny extremes.  He also capitalizes on the kid-appeal of bugs, worms and toads.

Add this to your spring time stories, it is sure to be a delight with young readers and listeners.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.