From: Christine Hill <chill>
Date: Mon, 06 Dec 1999 10:56:46 -0500

My favorite picture book of the year is by a British author/illustrator, so it is not a Caldecott contender, however I think it is destined to belong to an equally elite group: those picture books which are kept in print by librarians who use them faithfully and delightedly at preschool story time. It is Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper, a story of friendship, sharing, and forgiveness. It is seasonal without specifying any holiday. It uses rich language but is completely understandable by four year olds because of its classic story structure and use of repetition. The pictures are exuberant and autumn-toned, large enough for group viewing, but with detail and inventive layout to intrigue in a lap-sit. It has enough suspense and emotional depth to produce utter silence in a preschool audience as it grips them with the questions: where is duck? will he ever come home? What a book! Christine M. Hill Willingboro Public Library One Salem Road Willingboro, NJ 08046 chill at willingboro.org My new book: Robert Ballard: Oceanographer Who Discovered the Titanic, Enslow, 1999
Received on Mon 06 Dec 1999 09:56:46 AM CST