Losing Things at Mr Mudds, First Edition, Hardcover 1992

Computer-generated illustrations adorn a charming story about a young girl's friendship with an antique collector who becomes angry when she loses the gift that he gave her.

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- When six-year-old Lucy visits Mr. Mudd, a distant relative, she finds his house full of untouchable treasures. When he gives her a ruby ring with the admonishment not to wear it, Lucy promptly disobeys and loses it, leading both of them to rethink what is really valuable. The writing is simple and direct, but with lots of personality, and the conflict and resolution are realistic and well portrayed. The illustrations are a treat; they appear to be done in pen-and-ink and airbrush, but were, in fact, produced on a Macintosh computer. This story has simple charm and a satisfying message. Older readers will also appreciate the complexity of the production. --Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, Buffalo, NY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A six-year-old girl softens the heart of a Scrooge-like relative in this picture book that marks its creators' debut. Mr. Mudd maintains his home with the austerity of a museum guard; when Lucy visits, she quickly becomes frustrated at the "chairs she was not allowed to sit on and music boxes she was not allowed to wind up." (Even the books are "far too delicate" to be touched.) A ruby ring and a "lost" tooth prove the catalysts for a confrontation between the girl and her host--an encounter that brings greater tolerance and understanding to both participants. Though Coman's story offers potentially valuable messages, they tend to be obscured by phraseology almost as stark as Mr. Mudd's housekeeping. Hidy's illustrations are proficiently executed--their trendy colors and pleasing composition bespeak a definite polish--but here, too, a certain sterility prevails. Youngsters at the book's intended age range may be put off by Mr. Mudd's gruffness--even his eventual relenting bears a grudging tone. Despite the collaborators' evident talents, their work generally lacks child appeal. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Staying with ``distant relative'' Mr. Mudd, Lucy is shown many wonderful things (music-boxes, old books) and even given a real ruby ring, but she's deprived of any pleasure by his constant warnings: everything is too precious to be touched. Rebelliously, Lucy takes the ring--and then loses it. Cowed by Mr. Mudd's anger, she is reluctant to tell him when she also loses her first tooth, but then bursts forth with all her true feelings. Fortunately, Mr. Mudd is human, too: Realizing his error, he slips the ring (which he's found) under her pillow in place of the tooth, then graciously reforms. The message is obvious, but it's told with enough grace to give it some power. Hidy's computer-generated illustrations (full details in an extensive colophon) are a mixed success: simple lines delineate emotions with the surprising sensitivity of recent film animation, and some of the compositions--especially where colored forms are silhouetted against a white ground--are elegantly spare. The sophisticated color sometimes seems garish, or merely stolid; more often, however, the subtle tones and juxtapositions contribute meaning. An interesting effort, adding up to more than just a worthy experiment. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.