Love Notes

Katy and Joe play together at school and send each other love notes until a friend of Joe's finds the notes and laughs at him. Story is accompanied by children chanting traditional rhymes about love, including "Katy and Joe, up in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- Simple declarative sentences do nothing to enhance this slim story of a young elementary school romance. Katy and Joe exchange notes at school, telling of their love for each other. They share a special day together. The next day, Joe's friends find a note that Katy sent him and taunt him. As a result, Joe gives Katy the cold shoulder. Two days later, on Valentine's Day, Katy gets a card from Joe--and they're back to teasing each other as best friends. Colorful illustrations give vibrancy to an otherwise dull work. They fill the pages with energy, packed with active kids. Readers can almost hear the noise blasting from the pages. As a bonus, the paneled borders feature old jump rope and other traditional rhymes such as "Roses are red, violets are blue, the sidewalk is cracked, and so are you." However, even with this book's bright looks, it does not measure up to other Valentine favorites, such as Judith Viorst's Rosie and Michael (Atheneum, 1974), which does a much better job conveying the emotion of a "first love." --Marianne Pilla, formerly at Long Beach Public Library, N.Y.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Joe sends Katy a love note, carefully printed on school paper. A delighted Katy saves the note in her lunch box and engages in mild flirtation at recess. The next day she returns Joe's sentiments in a note but the schoolyard romance is nipped in the bud when Jason intercepts the note and yells, "Joe's got a girlfriend!" Joe buckles under pressure and disavows Katy completely, but sends her a valentine that says "You're a SUPER friend." Matters improve when both children arrive at a teasing, friendly relationship. This story of love and tribal custom among the primary-school set will ring true for second- and third-graders; the trial and error of learning acceptable social behavior is often laden with a measure of confusion. Deep colors decorate the stiff drawings, which are often bordered with boxed scenes of children reciting various jump-rope rhymes, playground chants and taunts known to this age group. Although the story is one-dimensional, aspects of it should prove popular. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.