For Every Child A Better World
This eager-to-please picture book wins plaudits for good intentions, though unfortunately for little else. Executed in a style that could well be called "Muppet multicultural" (the critters appear in just about every skin color imaginable, including purple, green and blue), the work is dedicated to the memory of Audrey Hepburn and published "in cooperation with the United Nations" (a portion of the proceeds will help support various U.N. projects). The double-spread pages present a series of happy/sad contrasts that employ minimal text ("Every child needs food to eat") and cartoon-like illustrations to depict the world's haves and have-nots. Kermit the Frog narrates and appears on the "happy" pages, declaring what every child has a right to--food, clean water, clean air to breathe, a home, education. The bright borders of these scenes evoke various settings--Africa, the Australian Outback, India, Greece, the Tyrol--and contrast sharply with the drab, mud-colored "sad" pages ("But sometimes there isn't enough"). The book's motive--to open children's minds and hearts to the world's problems--is admirable; however, the commercial tone and simplistic format lack subtlety and depth. Ages 5-9.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.