March
11, 2002
French (The Thistle
Princess) brings a
fresh, warm delivery
to a familiar premise.
It is the day before
Mother's Day, and Stanley,
a winsome feline shown
outfitted with overalls,
rumpled whiskers and untied shoelaces,
has yet to find a present. He questions
his older siblings about their
gifts and, when his brother reports
that he will be giving flowers,
Stanley rushes off to pick some;
but by the time he returns, the
petals have blown away. Further
plans to duplicate his siblings'
ideas fail until Stanley arrives
at his own, very well-received
solution: a cardboard box full
of kisses. French's use of detail
gives her story its individuality.
When Stanley looks for money, for
example, his piggy bank falls open,
and "it was empty except for
one piece of a jigsaw puzzle. `Oh,
no,' said Stanley, and his whiskers
quivered." Kubick (Something's
Coming!) evokes the sweetness of
an earlier era with elements reminiscent
of Mary Engelbreit: rounded, stubby
bodies, props of traditional furniture
and clothing, bright colors and
inventive composition. Taking the
place of Engelbreit's heavy patterning,
though, is a healthy dose of white
space and rhythmically deployed
vignettes, so that the characters
get all the attention they deserve.
Ages 3-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business
Information, Inc.
May
1, 2002
Ages 2-4. A toddler learns about
gift giving and discovers his own
power in a gentle picture book
about a cat family. Stanley's big
brothers and sisters all have fine
presents for Mother's Day, but
when Stanley tries to copy them,
he makes a mess. He picks flowers,
and all the petals fall off. His
bank is empty, so he can't buy
anything. He can't make a cake,
even a mud one. Finally he finds
the best gift of all--a huge box
of kisses that last forever and
ever. Kubick's pictures in watercolor,
gouache, and pencil show Stanley
as a combination of kitten and
eager child, and preschoolers will
enjoy his bumbling, messy failures
as much as the final triumphant
encircling embrace in Mom's arms.
As in Rosemary Wells' Bunny
Cakes (1997), the youngest
outdoes his older siblings and
finds his own way. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American
Library
Association.
All rights
reserved
Book
Reviews, Advice for Writers
and Publishers, and Resources
for
Book Lovers
With
just one
day before
Mother's
Day, little
Stanley,
the youngest
of four,
wants to
find Mom
a special
gift.
Stanley consults his brother and
two sisters and likes the presents
they have decided upon. Alas, he
has too few skills--or too few
coins in his bank--to duplicate
their efforts.
So the whole family is surprised
when Stanley comes down the next
day carrying a big cardboard box
with a red bow. What could he have
put in that big box, they wonder.
Only something a creative, caring
son would come up with!
The vibrantly colorful, clean illustrations,
done in watercolor and pencil,
highlight the humor of Stanley's
antics and the poignancy of his
situation.
Authors
celebrate bond between moms and
kids, April 28, 2002 BY JANIS CAMPBELL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER Mother's Day is just two weeks
away. One of the joys for moms
is reading to their children.
Here are some new titles that
celebrate moms and their love.
"A Present
for Mom" by
Vivian French ($13.99)
is about a kitten
named Stanley who
is looking for just
the right gift for
Mom. The older cats
in the family all have
good ideas. Finally,
Stanley comes up
with a gift that
warms Mom's heart.
Dana Kubick’s
illustrations are reminiscent
of some ‘50s
children’s
books.
March
1, 2002 With Mother’s Day
fast approaching, young Stanley
feverishly attempts to find
the perfect present for his
dear old mum. After all,
his three older siblings
have already found their
ideal gifts. Yet somehow,
their offerings aren’t
the right choice for Stanley:
his handpicked flowers quickly
shed their petals, a raid
on his bank box elicits a
lone puzzle piece, and his
mud cake turns into a mud
slide. Forlorn, the kitten
retires to bed with dreams
of elusive gifts flitting
through his head. A little
advice from his oldest sister
sets Stanley in the right
direction and he learns that
a gift doesn’t have
to be costly or elaborate—just
full of good intentions.
When Mother’s Day dawns,
Stanley’s box of kisses
turns out to be the best
present he could give. French's
(Oliver’s Mild
Shake, 2001, etc.) simple
tale rings true for little
ones, reminding them that
their love is truly the most
precious gift of all. Kubick's
(Cats, Cats and MoreCats,
not reviewed) watercolor
and gouache illustrations
are precisely drawn and vividly
hued, filled with pattern
and detail. Whimsical touches
are freely scattered throughout
the pictures, from the cat
motif of the upholstery to
the feline-shaped teapot
perched on the kitchen shelf.
Little Stanley, with his
sooty ears and crumpled whiskers,
is bound to work his way
into readers' affections. (Picture
book. 3-7)
April
- June Book Reviews 2002
Ratings: ****
Excellent ***
Good **
Average *
Poor
**** A
Present for Mom Vivian
French, Illustrator: Dana
Kubick
Grade: pre-school to 2nd
A present for Mom is truly a sweet
story. Stanley doesn't know what
to get mom for Mother's Day. He
gets ideas from his brothers and
sisters but they never work out
quite right for him. The flowers
he picks are beautiful until he
finally gets them into the house,
his piggy bank is empty except
for a puzzle piece so he can't
buy her candy, and the mud pie
cake is perfect until he trips.
Poor Stanley, he goes to bed with
no gift for Mom. He doesn't sleep
very well at all but in the morning
he has the perfect gift!! A delightful
story full of love. The perfect
gift for mom on her special day.
(Reviewer's name: Dale R. Sampson
, West Branch/Library)
Date of review: 4/17/02
28
March 2002
May
2002 PeSchool-Grade 2-This charming
Mother's Day story depicts
family togetherness and love
in a single-parent household.
Stanley, the youngest of
four kittens, can't decide
on a gift for his mother.
Stumped, he asks each of
his siblings what they are
giving. His brother says
he will give their mother
flowers. "`Good idea,'
said Stanley" and he
rushes off to pick some flowers
from the garden. But "by
the time he got back inside,
all the petals had fallen
off." Stanley then goes
on to ask his two older sisters
for advice but comes up with
no ideas. Troubled, the kitten
tosses and turns all night,
worrying about what to do.
The next morning, his siblings
gather in Stanley's room
to offer last-minute advice,
triggering an idea for the
perfect present. The illustrations,
done in watercolor, gouache,
and pencil, dominate the
book, showing the dejected
kitten as his ears droop,
whiskers quiver, and tail
drags with each failed effort
to produce a gift. One very
nice touch is the progression
of family photos on the endpapers
and title pages. The bright
colors and expressive characters
combined with the heartwarming
story make this a noteworthy
addition to picture-book
collections. Children will
identify with Stanley
, his quest, and his ultimate
triumph.
Heather
E. Miller,
Homewood
Public
Library,
AL Copyright
2002
Cahners
Business
Information,
Inc.
Children's
Book Council of Australia
Reading
Time, Reading
Time is the quarterly journal
of The Children's Book Council
of Australia
Reading
Time Volume 46 No 3 August
2002
Celebrating Mothers
by Mary Quattlebaum Celebrate Mother's Day
by sharing a book that explores
the mother-child bond or
focuses on strong females
dealing with tough times
in history.
In A Present for
Mom (Candlewick,
2002, ages 3 to 6, $13.99), Stanley
searches for the perfect Mother's
Day gift. After consulting with
his older siblings, he tries
picking flowers and making a
mud cake; but each effort meets
with disaster. Finally, Stanley
hits upon just the right thing:
a beautifully wrapped box full
of kisses. Vivian French's gentle
story speaks to the spirit of
young children, who often wish
to give and not just receive.
Dana Kubick's watercolors depict
the world of creative youngsters
busily fixing bikes and whipping
up kitchen concoctions. Instead
of the usual blankness, Kubick
decorates front and back pages
with "photos," showing
Mom's specialness throughout
the year and rounding out this
portrait of a loving family.
To
Mum With Love/A Present
for Mom
Rating:
Vivian French and Dana Kubick
are quite a duo in their fun,
light-hearted, and unique picture
books for children. A Present For Mom reflects
the youngest cat sibling
being perplexed about what
to get Mom for Mother's Day.
His brother and sisters all
have something in mind, but
Stanley does not. Will Stanley ever find
the perfect present for Mom?
Find out in this cute tale. |
|
From
the Publisher
Stanley
learns that he and
Grandpa have a special
connection in this
heartwarming companion
to A PRESENT FOR MOM.
Grandpa has come to stay for the
weekend, and Mom is off to work.
Stanley's brothers and sisters
want to play soccer or jump-rope
or bouncing, but Grandpa and Stanley
aren't too good at those games.
What they do have a special talent
for is snuggling, as they discover
when Stanley sings Grandpa a song,
and they both fall asleep. No wonder
Stanley loves his grandpa the best
of all!
Phyllis
Kennemer, Ph.D. - Children's
Literature
As Mother left for
work, she told the three
older children to look after
Stanley. When Stanley asked
who he could look after,
she told him to take care
of Grandpa. Grandpa tried
to join his grandchildren
in their games. Rex wanted
to play soccer, but Grandpa
missed the ball and Stanley
fell over it. Queenie got
tangled up in the rope she
was trying to jump because
Grandpa and Stanley could
not swing it high enough.
Flora brought out the jumping
ball. Grandpa was too big
to make it jump and Stanley
was too small. All of this
activity wore Grandpa out.
He sat down in a lawn chair.
Stanley climbed in his lap
and sang him a song. When
Mother returned home, she
found Grandpa and all four
of the children sleeping.
Large colorful pictures depict
a loving family of cats dressed
and acting like people. A
cozy story for sharing with
young children. 2004, Candlewick
Press, Ages 3 to 6.
PreS-Gr 2-Stanley,
the adorable star
of A Present for
Mom (Candlewick,
2002), returns in
this loving story
about a feline family.
Grandpa is visiting
for the weekend,
so when Mom leaves
for work, he stays
to look after the
rather active kittens.
The older siblings
draft him into playing
soccer, jumping rope,
and bouncing on a
large ball, but his
strengths do not
lie in these areas.
After Grandpa sits
down with a tired
sigh, Stanley, the
youngest, snuggles
close and sings a
soothing tune about
his love for his
grandfather. Before
long, the whole group
dozes off. Later,
a newly refreshed
Grandpa takes everyone
to the playground.
Complete with black-and-white
family "photos" scattered
across the endpapers,
the exuberant cartoon
illustrations work
perfectly with the
endearing text. A
delightful choice
for reading aloud
or for family sharing.-Andrea
Tarr, Corona Public
Library, CA Copyright
2004 Reed Business
Information.
When Grandpa
comes to spend the
weekend, Mom goes
off to work, leaving
Rex, Flora, and Queenie
to look after Stanley,
their younger brother.
Stanley's job is
to look after Grandpa.
Each child has an
idea of how to spend
the day, but Grandpa
and Stanley (who
just wants to go
to the playground)
can't play their
games. The siblings
go off to play by
themselves, leaving
Grandpa and Stanley
to make do. Noticing
that Grandpa is tired,
Stanley tells him
he will look after
him and sing him
a song, just like
Mom does for him.
Curled up together
on a chair, Stanley
sings everyone to
sleep with a sweet
song about loving
his Grandpa. When
Mom returns, Grandpa
rewards Stanley for
taking such good
care of him by taking
him to swing-at the
playground. Kubick's
illustrations gently
portray a lovable
cat family and by
adding details and
drawing out facial
expressions, she
has extended the
story for those who
are careful observers.
A wonderful selection
for the littlest
one in any family
and for the grandpa
that is special in
his or her life.
(Picture book. 3-7)
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