Pinky Promise: A Book About Telling the Truth
Kindergarten-Grade 2–When Madison accidentally breaks her mom's expensive camera, she lies to protect herself from punishment. After a difficult evening, she consults with her teddy bear, named Honesty. She then bravely approaches her mother and apologizes, with a pinky promise never to lie again. Feeling better immediately, she is able to do her homework and eat. That night, in a break from the reality-based premise, Madison's bear scampers down from the shelf to cuddle with her in bed. His whispered goodnight reiterates the book's message. While a bear named Honesty is a glaring literary tool, at least the toy is not prone to lectures. Even though the girl asks him for advice, he doesn't verbally respond, so that the answer is seen to come from within. This reassuring book provides a lesson to children and educates parents in how to calmly and compassionately respond to a youngster who has told a lie. There is nice detail and consistency in the pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, largely done in soothing blues and greens. The stuffed animals are animated with human expressions from the start so that the fantasy ending is not totally unexpected.–Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.