Lively and inspirational, Katie Couric's sophomore picture book, reunites Ellie McSnelly and Carriet O'Toole, friends from her successful first book,
The Brand New Kid. Once again, Couric's tale deals with the aches and pains of growing up, and in
The Blue Ribbon Day, she encourages kids to deal positively with disappointment. Carrie doesn't make the soccer team with Ellie, but with some reassuring words from mom, "We're all good at something, you'll have your time to shine," she makes a new start, and ends up placing first in the school science fair.
Told in fun, jazzy rhymes that help mitigate Carrie's disappointment and foretell a happy ending, Couric's snappy, upbeat text is perfectly matched by Caldecott winner Marjorie Priceman's vibrant illustrations. Charming, engaging, and brimming with positivity, parents and kids alike will enjoy this reassuring tale. Daphne Durham
Amazon.com's The Significant Seven
Katie Couric answers the seven questions we ask every author.
Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life?
A: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers.
Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD--what are they?
A: Encyclopedia Britannica
Any Motown compilation
To Kill a Mockingbird
Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told?
A: I told my mom that I didn't break one of the bedposts of her four-post bed during a pillow fight with my brother, but I eventually fessed up because the guilt was killing me!!!.
Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.
A: In the morning, on a patio with lots of flowers and birds chirping. A comfortable wicker chair. Sunshine, low humidity and a great cup of coffee.
Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?
A: "Perky no more."
Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with?
A: Thomas Jefferson or Eleanor Roosevelt
Q: If you could have one superpower what would it be?
A: The power to cure serious illnesses.
Kindergarten-Grade 2 - Couric and Priceman return to the scene of
The Brand New Kid (Doubleday, 2000) for another look at a common school problem, this time learning to face disappointment. Light verse tells of soccer tryouts at Brookhaven School. Ellie McSnelly is fabulous, but Carrie O'Toole is not asked to join the team. She goes home feeling blue and cries to her mom, who hugs her and says, "Everybody's a star, a brilliant creation,/the trouble is finding the right constellation!" The warm, energetic watercolor illustrations of kids at work and at play complement the story well and help to move it along. If the ending is a little pat - Carrie and Lazlo (the new kid of the earlier title) find their talent - the book's good humor carries the day.
- Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
