CELESTE: A Day in the Park [Hardcover]

Martin Matje (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999 | Age Level: 3 and up

Join Celeste and her best friend, Tim, in a super-duper adventure.

There's a good guy, a bad guy, a cucumber, and tons of fun!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like Arthur Yorinks's Harry and Lulu, which Matje illustrated, this appealingly drawn but awkward tale features a temperamental girl and her stuffed-animal sidekick. Celeste and her teddy bear, Tim, want to escape the traffic and towering gray buildings of their "very big, very noisy city." Celeste packs a whimsical picnic of "fresh marshmallow juice and two large vanilla cucumber sandwiches," and the two resolutely march to a placid city park. However, the day and the plot go amiss when a duck steals a sandwich, and Celeste, pursuing the duck, crashes into a hulking policeman. Tiny Celeste cowers in front of the balloon-shaped cop, who is assumed to be an enemy, not a protector ("You can fight a dishonest duck BUT you can't go up against the law"). Meanwhile Tim strong-arms the duck into good behavior and even engineers a friendship by promising the duck his favorite sandwich (chocolate and sausage, to be prepared by Celeste). The elegantly simple illustrations, aided by an agile mix of hand lettering and mechanical type, flow like animated cartoons, full of motion and feeling. With seeming effortlessness they supply this petite volume with the raffish and child-friendly wit that's missing from the text. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Celeste and her best friend, a stuffed bear named Tim, decide to go on a picnic in the park. The girl makes a special lunch of crunchy peanut butter and smashed cornflakes cookies, vanilla cucumber sandwiches, and marshmallow juice. They are enjoying their meal by the lake when a duck sneaks up to snitch a sandwich. Unwilling to share, Celeste chases after it and runs smack into Officer Brekkit. As she stands beneath the large man looking small and embarrassed, the text explains, "You can fight a dishonest duck BUT you can't go up against the LAW." Tim saves the day by convincing the duck to become their friend; the next day, they all share a picnic and have the duck's favorite food: chocolate-and-sausage sandwiches. This silly adventure is illustrated with Matje's retro-style gouache-and-watercolor cartoons, which are similar to those found in Arthur Yorinks's Harry and Lulu (Hyperion, 1999). Youngsters will be amused by the asides included with the pictures but some of the humor might be lost on them. Still, there is a lot to enjoy here, from the anthropomorphized behavior of the duck and bear to the creative picnic fare.
Susan M. Moore, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books; 1st edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068982100X
• ISBN-13: 978-0689821004
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,539,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best gift ever, January 3, 2007

By 

J. Loy (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CELESTE: A Day in the Park (Hardcover)

Someone got us this as a gift and its one of my kids favorite books. Its so funny and clever and the illustrations are fantastic. The story is hillarious and you'll enjoy reading it as well.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overall enjoyable book, August 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: CELESTE: A Day in the Park (Hardcover)

Celeste A Day In The Park is an entertaining and active book. Children seem very captivated by the colors of the pictures. The sentences are some times too drawn out for younger readers. The antics of Celeste are refreshing and a memory stimulator for younger children who like to associate themselves with her. this is an overall enjoyable book.