Mama's Perfect Present

Two children and their crazy canine, Zaza, go in search of the perfect gift for their mother in Paris and, along the way, wreak havoc at each boutique and flower stand they visit, until Zaza finally discovers the place where the perfect present awaits.

PreSchool-Grade 3?They're back?the two irrepressible urchins who searched the streets of Paris in Where's Our Mama? (Dutton, 1991). Now they're hoping to find the perfect birthday present for their beloved parent. While the children innocently eye the possibilities from the fleuriste to the patisserie, Zaza, their dachshund, creates chaos at every stop. Goode alternates single-page "before" and "after" scenes with double-page illustrations of full-blown, action-packed havoc. Cherry-colored dresses tumble, songbirds revel in their release, and a careening chef juggles the layers of a cake while Zaza happily devours spilling candy balls. The children matter-of-factly reject each potential gift. But fortune smiles on the trio when Zaza tracks down just the thing?a set of paints. In a clever nod to Seurat, the children create a masterpiece for their mother while sitting in the park. The finished portrait of Mama incorporates elements from the shopping trip to give it a fresh and funny look. The shop signs are filled with French and English puns; the watercolor scenes are imbued with effervescence and light. Readers who look closely will see that it's a dog's world. A sweet confection with wide appeal?the creme de la creme.?Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Mayhem? Mais oui! The rosy-cheeked children who searched Paris high and low in Where's Our Mama? are back?and this time they are on a quest to find the ideal birthday gift for their dear mother. Accompanied by a beguiling but boisterous dachshund named Zaza, the kids take to the streets, cheerfully oblivious to the chaos Zaza creates in their wake. After a visit from these young shoppers, cakes topple at the bakery, flowers fly at the florist and the shoes are in a shambles at the shoe store. At last the kids follow Zaza's lead to the perfect selection?something not store-bought, but homemade. Goode's uncluttered text is the framework for a Parisian adventure awash in authentic City of Light atmosphere. From signage to doorways to shop windows, her architectural detail hits the mark. The knobby-kneed protagonists radiate sweetness and their personable pet could melt any reader's heart. Goode's latest will leave young readers chuckling at Zaza's exploits and everyone else clucking an appreciative ooh-la-la. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In this deadpan sequel to Where's Our Mama? (1991), the Parisian brother and sister and their disaster-causing dachshund are on a hunt for Mama's birthday present. At each fancy shop, Zaza slips away and, unnoticed for a few crucial seconds, sends racks flying, overturns dress mannequins, and topples store clerks, chefs, and shoppers. With Goode's jaunty illustrations, this is a deftly paced and sophisticated comedy that includes a parody of Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. It's quite an outing, and the siblings do locate (and create) the perfect present. (Picture book. 4-7) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 5^-8. Those two delightful daughters from Where's Our Mama? (1991) are searching Paris once more, but this time they are not looking for their mother, they just want to find the right gift for her. They investigate flowers in the flower stall, dresses in the designers' shops, songbirds in the pet shop. Zaza, their dachshund, manages to create havoc everywhere they go, but the sisters are oblivious and have no idea why people are bumbling and goods are tumbling just as they go by. Then a grand idea comes to them when they see a portrait painter. Buying paints and paper, they head to the park to create--it must be Sunday, because George and the rest of Seurat's crew is there in a parody of his famous picture. Mama loves the girls' self-portrait--it's the perfect present. The story is clever and full of fun, but it is really the pictures that make this come alive. Exquisitely drawn yet always centered on its two pint-size heroines, the book shows off the sophistication of Paris and juxtaposes it with the broad comedy of pratfalls and flying pastry. The result is as delectable as the pink birthday cake featured in the girls' portrait. Ilene Cooper