Synopsis
Mickey's birthday is coming and his parents cannot figure out what to do when he tells them that he wants something big, strong, smooth, sweet, warm, funny, and long-lasting
Reviews
Mr. and Mrs. Goodparents sit in their Thinking Chair and ponder what to give their son Mikie for his birthday in the opening scene of this fairly obvious tale. Since the chair is "kind of hard," after awhile they have "three problems: A pain in their bottoms,/ A pain in their heads,/ And still not a single idea." When they finally ask Mikie what he would like, he announces that he wants a "very special present and I want it to be very... BIG!" A fold-out page reveals his parents' translation of this requestA"He wants an elephant!"Awhile Montserrat's thickly outlined, stylized cartoon shows Mikie swinging from the trunk of a blue pachyderm sporting two rings in one floppy ear. Subsequent pages fold out to illustrate the Goodparents' speculation on other gifts that might fit the bill, prompted by Mikie's descriptions (for a gift that makes him "fly," they imagine a helicopter). In spots, the narrative may lose readers completely (e.g., when Mikie says he wants his gift "to last a loooong time!!" his parents surmise, "He wants a day that lasts as long as his bowl of soup"). Funky fonts, silver ink and metallic pages give this volume a distinctive look, but the conclusion will satisfy grown-ups more than birthday boys and girls: when his parents give him an apologetic hug in lieu of a present, Mikie announcesAwith a smile and a wink of his eye, "Just what I wanted!" Ages 3-6. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
A straightforward and winsome translation of an award-winning picture book from Spain. Mikie's mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Goodparents, are sitting in their Thinking Chair, trying to figure out what to give him. They finally ask him, and Mikie has ideas: he wants it to be big, strong, soft, warm, and to make him fly. For each attribute, Mikie's parents clutch each other (or hold hands, or even fall over) and think of items to fit the description, counting a bowl of candy and a weightlifter among them. On Mikie's birthday, the stymied Goodparents give him a great big hug, which is soft, warm, sweet, etc. The characters have the thick outline and geometric shape of woodcuts, and a silvery background that sets off the colors nicely. Each page has Mikie's description on one page, his parents on the facing page, and their perception of what he wants inside a gatefold page. It's fun to read and reread, is delightful without being simpering, and will have children guessing to the end. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
PreSchool-Grade 2-When Mr. and Mrs. Goodparents ask their son what he would like for his birthday, Mikie requests a gift that is "big, strong, soft, sweet and warm." It should also "rock from side to side, make him fly, make him laugh, and last a very loooong time." The perplexed parents try to imagine what it might be, but they can't come up with a thing. As they try to explain the problem to their son, the difficulties are resolved by a "big, soft, strong, sweet, warm hug" that rocks from side to side, makes Mikie laugh and fly, and lasts a long time-just what the little boy wanted. The simple text is carried by Montserrat's bold cartoon illustrations. Strong black line sets off the simple geometric shapes of which the graphics are composed. The layout, double-page spreads with gatefolds on the right that show what the parents think their son wants, enhances the book's charm. When Mikie asks for something warm, for example, the foldout page reveals a smokestack. Listeners will enjoy trying to guess what Mikie wants as each adjective is added. Use this with Barbara Joosse's Mama, Do You Love Me (Chronicle, 1991) and Margery Flack's classic Ask Mr. Bear (Macmillan, 1968) for a touching look at the love between parent and child.
Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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