Sourpuss and Sweetie Pieby Norton Juster
illustrated by Chris Raschka
Scholastic, October 2008
review copy provided by the publisher
This review goes out to the parents of all toddlers. Also, to the parents of all teenagers.
Nanna and Poppy, the grandparents who are visited by their granddaughter in the 2006 Caldecott winner, The Hello, Goodbye Window, are never sure whether it is Sourpuss or Sweetie Pie who's come to visit. She assures us that most of the time she really is Sweetie Pie, and she knows that Grandma and Grandpa don't like Sourpuss very much, but when it comes to who she'll be..."I don't know how it's going to be. It just happens."
One minute she's hugging, the next she's insisting on her way. One minute she's thinking of others, the next she's completely self-absorbed. One minute she's "YES!", and the next she's "NO!". Through it all, no matter what the mood, Grandma, Grandpa and Granddaughter listen to music, paint, play pretend, read books, and go for drives.
When Nana and Poppy put her (them?) to bed, they wonder who will be there in the morning...and for how long.
Raschka's bright and sunny Sweetie Pie illustrations contrast with the darker, stormy Sourpuss pictures, in a book that is sure to be a favorite of grownups and moody young ones alike.
I've always loved Raschka's work! There is something in his line that touches me.
ReplyDeleteWe just read our library copy of this. So good! And I didn't even know it was out, so it was a lucky accident I found it. (If only I had come here first!)
ReplyDeleteI would include: parents of all children, as well as husbands of all wives, wives of all husbands, co-workers of all co-workers... I think we'd all be better off if we understood that we can all be a bit irrational sometimes. What a great book!
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