R.W. Alley
|
VALENTINE SURPRISE
|
Reviewsfrom KIRKUS REVIEWS December, 2007 For Lily, the week before Valentine’s Day is filled with attempts to make the perfect heart for her Mom. Monday’s is too pointy, though, so she hides it under the bed. It is quickly joined by Tuesday’s (too round), Wednesday’s (too square), Thursday’s (too curvy), Friday’s (too skinny) and Saturday’s (too fat). Sunday is Valentine’s Day—the day of the lopsided heart and the last of the paper. Undaunted, Lily sets to work with some tape. Her Mom doesn’t care that they are imperfect, since the heart inside Lily is perfect. A foldout page displays Lily’s creation: Strung together, the hearts spell “Love you.” With its subtle teaching of days and shapes, this is one that teachers will reach for each February. Alley’s Lily has a face for all her feelings and actions—hopeful, disappointed, concentrating and working hard. Readers can only hope that the closing illustration hints to a future St. Patrick’s Day outing with Lily. Lily’s solution is a salute to creativity, ingenuity and thinking outside the box; it will have all parents cheering her efforts and hoping that their own child takes a page from her book. from BOOKLIST "Valentine’s Day is a week away, and Lily wants to make her mother a perfect heart-shaped valentine. She starts on Monday, but the heart she makes is too pointy. She tries again on Tuesday, but this time, the heart is too round. Lily makes a new heart for every day of the week, but none of them is good enough. What to do? Parents and children alike will admire Lily’s solution: she tapes the hearts together and gives her mother a whole week of love. The simple text, which teaches shapes and days of the week, is just right for young children, who will recognize their own craft-project frustrations in Lily’s experience. The story is sweet without being sappy, and Alley’s soft, pencil-and-watercolor illustrations add to the warm tone. This cozy story is an excellent choice for a family-oriented Valentine’s Day reading." |
