Dear Daisy, Get Well Soon [Hardcover]

Maggie Smith (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

When Daisy comes down with chicken pox, Peter proves he’s a friend she can count on: On Monday, he makes her a get-well card–and his stuffed elephant comes to life to deliver it. On Tuesday, he sends two zebras with flowers. By the time five monkeys arrive with balloons on Friday, Daisy is feeling much better. So on Saturday, she delivers a gift of her own–an invitation to come over and play. With very few words, this story speaks volumes about the magic of having a very best friend.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bound to lift the spirits of any bedridden child, Smith's (There's a Witch Under the Stairs) upbeat tale is a get-well card in book form. Peter, wearing a safari hat, pulls a wagon filled with stuffed animals to his next-door neighbor Daisy's house. But Daisy has the chicken pox and cannot come out to play. Smith then combines a counting lesson with the days of the week as Peter's toy creatures alternately spring to life--full-size and in increasing numbers--to deliver gifts from Peter to his sick pal: one elephant delivers a homemade card, a pair of giraffes delivers two bouquets of flowers, a trio of hippos delivers three coloring books, etc. Youngsters will find some diverting surprises in the balloon-bright artwork: having departed Peter's room as couriers, the once life-size animals reappear as stuffed toys, once again, on Daisy's bed and, in the final scene, litter the lawn as the now healthy girl and her buddy play safari. Labeled pictures of the featured animals line the walls of Peter's room and provide clues as to which full-size animal will appear next. Just the ticket for a homebound young patient. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-On Sunday, Daisy comes down with the chicken pox so her friend and neighbor, Peter, sends her gifts via his stuffed animals that have come to life. From Monday through Friday, something new is delivered, the number of items increasing by one each day. By the end of the week, all five toys are residing with Daisy, waiting for Saturday when the two friends can don their safari hats and play outdoors once again. The illustrations bring the characters to life and are an integral part of the storytelling. What may initially confuse readers is that when the animals are animated, their number increases to match the gift quantity so that one stuffed zebra turns into two full-size creatures carrying two bunches of flowers and one stuffed flamingo becomes four parading pink birds delivering four apples. Once this multiplicity is accepted, readers will get immersed in other visual details in the ultra-bright cartoon illustrations. Daisy's overworked mother, for example, hangs endless quantities of laundry on the line but never spies the creatures while the baby happily waves to each newcomer. Counting and days of the week are naturally ingrained in the plot, thus keeping the focus on Peter's acts of kindness. Smith uses simple repetitive phrasing to express the story's action. Rather than dwell on Daisy's illness, this book celebrates the cheerful giving of friendship. It's enough to make anyone feel better.
Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (April 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517800721
• ISBN-13: 978-0517800720
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Another awesome Maggie Smith book., August 2, 2006

By 

Karen K. Hart (Austin, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dear Daisy, Get Well Soon (Paperback)

There are several fantastic points about Dear Daisy, Get Well Soon. Instead of whining about waiting for Daisy to get better, Peter does something proactive: he sends his animal friends on missions to cheer her up. So the plot is charming and useful.
The details in the pictures really make the story come to life. The squirrel's reactions to different scenes are funny, and I liked seeing Daisy's mom pushing a reel mower with Daisy's little sibling strapped to her! So even supporting characters have their own personalities.
I even learned something about chicken pox from this book. Since I was a newborn when I had chicken pox, I don't remember it, and I thought it was contagious for two weeks. When it only took a week for Daisy to get better, I did research and found that, indeed, it's contagious for about a week (although Peter was lucky not to get it before anyone knew Daisy was sick).
So, overall, the book is great for its creativity and warmth. Good for kids, parents, and people who just enjoy children's literature.

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet Get Well Story, December 21, 2005

By 

George Buttner "Agent0042" (Dayton, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dear Daisy, Get Well Soon (Hardcover)

Peter wants to play with his best friend Daisy, but is upset to find out that she's come down with the chicken pox. He decides to help make her feel better by sending things to cheer her up. Everything he does really helps and she's better before the week is out!

Daisy is likely cheered up by both the sweet presents Peter sends her (including a get well card and flowers) and the unusual delivery method --- Peter seems to have a fleet of animals (such as hippos and zebras) at his command, magically transformed from his stuffed toys.

The illustrations are soft and pleasing and full of visual detail to read and spot. This is also a counting story, which kids just learning to count will very much appreciate and have fun counting along with.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book if a child misses somthing/someone., December 18, 2001

By 

Lauren (MI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dear Daisy, Get Well Soon (Hardcover)

This is a lovely counting book. It has animals and great pictures to look at. It is about a little boy who misses his freind when she is sick. He send her different thing every day of the week in hopes of making her recover faster. It also would help a child learn the days of the week. It would be nice for a child who is missing a friend or family member or some one moves away. It has lots of ideas and creative things they can do to keep them busy and also please the reciever of all those things. Very lovely book to give to a sick friend. The most adorable book.