Mary Wrightly, So Politely
Mary is a sweet, thoughtful preschooler, who is faulted more often for speaking too softly than for calling attention to herself. After she asks her mother to take her shopping for a first-birthday present for her baby brother, Mary finds herself standing in the middle of a crowded toy store while her mother is so busy talking with a friend that she’s unaware of Mary’s quiet—and ineffectual—efforts to identify the gift she’d like to purchase. Eventually, Mary finds a louder voice with which to assert herself and all is made right. In images of expressive, bubble-headed Mary, Monescillo uses colorful watercolors occasionally textured with the underlying open-weave canvas and the addition of chalky pigments. Bridges’ text employs a gentle rhythm and spare language to create a real story out of its underlying theme: being polite and assertive are both important. Preschool-Grade 1. --Francisca Goldsmith