Pancakes For Supper
Starred Review.PreSchool-Grade 4–Inspired by the pluck and tradition of Helen Bannerman'sThe Story of Little Black Samboand infused with the flavor of an American tall tale, this story tells of Toby, who bounces from the back of her parents' buckboard and into the depths of the New England woods, where she must surrender her brand-new sartorial treasures to various denizens in order to secure her safety. A wolf wears her beautiful blue coat, a cougar takes her sunny-yellow sweater, a skunk gets her buck-hide boots, and a porcupine her bonnie brown dress. When a great big bear dons her bright orange mittens (on his ears), the animals begin to argue over which of them is the grandest. A chasing melee ensues, and they melt into a golden brown moat at the foot of the tree they race around. Toby retrieves her clothes, her parents' search for their lost girl is happily ended, and the tree drinks up that critter juice and transforms it into–sweet maple syrup! Time for a pancake feast! And just as Bannerman's fictional family did, one parent ate 27 pancakes, one ate 55, and the child ate 169, because she was so hungry. Isaacs's clever, respectful take on an iconic tale is testament to its appeal. Teague's pictures are brilliant, cinematic full-bleed oil-paint dramas that capture the essence of a nascent New England spring. His characters' faces, human and animal, are overtly expressive and their stances just ooze attitude. This irresistibly delicious package will surely become a mainstay on the storytime menu.–Kathy Krasniewicz, Perrot Library, Old Greenwich, CTCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.