Little Mo - Softcover

Waddell, Martin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1564025144 ISBN 13: 9781564025142

Publisher: Candlewick, 1995

Synopsis

The Big Ones try to help a young polar bear learn how to glide on the ice, but she gets bumped so much that she decides it isn't any fun--until she spends time learning on her own

About this title

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-A satisfying story, economically told through simple, straightforward language and energetic illustrations. Little Mo, a small polar bear, tries sliding on the ice, but instead takes several spills. First one, and then several larger bears join her and they all slide and glide around. Soon the Big Ones crowd and bump the small bear, overpowering her and making her fall. Finally, they tire and go home, leaving Little Mo to practice and perfect her skills on her own. The pencil and watercolor illustrations accurately depict the Arctic-pale blue ice, stark snow, and gold and peach sky-and perfectly capture the animal antics. The double-page spreads are occasionally divided into panels, each furthering the action. In the carefully composed pictures, Little Mo, in her brightly colored scarf, is always the focal point. The loose line of the drawings coupled with the composition gives a sense of movement to the pictures. No extraneous details or cluttered composition detract from the simple story of a small bear in a big world. Good for winter story time or one-on-one sharing, Little Mo will appeal to children who have been buffeted by the Big Ones and yet have managed to accomplish something on their own.
Cynthia K. Richey, Mt. Lebanon Public Library, Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Rainbow scarf around her neck, Little Mo (a polar bear) steps hopefully onto the ice, only to bump down hard. Four of her full-grown friends come to help, ``sliding and gliding'' and zooming her along, but the ``Big Ones'' get more and more rambunctious, bumping Little Mo until she decides she doesn't like the ice after all. After the Big Ones forget her and wander off, she tries once more to slide on her own, and finally learns to keep on her feet and twirl gracefully--``and Little Mo loved it.'' The disarmingly simple text is pleasantly flavored with deft internal rhymes, while Barton's adroitly sketched bears, repeated in vertical frames across a spread, are comically expressive. The winter landscape--icy blue beneath a peachy sunset--makes a serene counterpoint to the lively action. A delightful explication of a familiar maxim--''If at first you don't succeed...'' (Picture book. 2-7) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 1564025144
• ISBN 13: 9781564025142
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Barton Jill