Description
Pre-Grade 3 Winter used true stories to address difficult topics in September Roses (Farrar, 2004) and The Librarian of Basra (Harcourt, 2005). Here, she tackles the tsunami in a narrative consisting of two repeated words: mama and baby. A hippo and his mother are shown enjoying a swim when gigantic waves pull them apart. They call out plaintively for one another, until the baby is alone in the deep waters of a full spread. After washing ashore, he is taken to a refuge, where he bonds with a 130-year-old tortoise (according to the endnote); the dialogue bubble reads mama. Winter’s signature acrylics turn from choppy, deep blues to placid turquoise, and the ratio of sky to water returns to a normal balance. It is hard to predict how the book will affect youngsters who are anxious about water or separation. The pitching of the topic to a preschool audience without more explanation is questionable. Not only will the design lead to dismay as adults discern, too late, what the book is really about, but the lack of narrative makes the situation seem typical rather than unique and results in oversimplification of a complex relationship. Explore this subject instead through Isabella and Craig Hatkoff and Paula Kahumbu’s sensitively structured Owen & Mzee (Scholastic, 2006), see p. 111. Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
