Lottie's New Beach Towel (Hardcover)

by Petra Mathers (Author) "Lottie was squeezing lemons when a package arrived..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
One beautiful summer day Lottie, a chicken, is squeezing lemons when a package arrives. It's a red-and-white polka-dotted beach towel from her Aunt Mattie with a note that says, "This might come in handy this summer." Boy, does it! Young readers will revel in the simple story of a day at the beach with absurd little twists. Lottie's friend Herbie is a duck, has a boat, and wears a hat labeled "Capitano." When he picks her up from the shore for a boat ride and the motor "gets tired and goes to sleep," they sail back with the help of the beach towel, of course. Petra Mathers, creator of Borreguita and the Coyote and Grandmother Bryant's Pocket, not only exposes the indispensable nature of one humble beach towel, she also creates a quirky story of friendship and a funny take on how one thing leads to another. In Lottie's closing letter to her aunt, she writes, "Thank you so much for my new beach towel. Without it I might be in the hospital with burnt feet or lost at sea with Herbie. There might not even have been a wedding. But let me start at the beginning." Charming illustrations and an elegant, sunny design are bound to make this winning picture book a story-time favorite. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly
In the spirit of her Sophie and Lou, Mathers captivates readers with this unorthodox oceanside outing starring two charming feathered friends. As Lottie, a chicken, prepares for a picnic with her duck pal Herbie, a package arrives: a red-and-white polka-dotted beach towel sent by Aunt Mattie, who thought it "might come in handy." Aunt Mattie was right: by day's end the towel has, among other things, helped Lottie carry her ice cooler across the burning sand ("Hop off the towel onto the cooler. Towel, cooler, off, on... all the way down to the water"), served as a sail for Herbie's boat and provided a stylish if unconventional headdress for a bride whose veil has blown away. That night Lottie sits down to write the thank-you note to end all thank-you notes, while the towel dries on a clothesline under a starlit indigo sky. Mathers paints a portrait of a winsome heroine characterized by unflagging practical resourcefulness and bursts of romantic inspiration. She achieves this end through the expert crafting of a low-key yet humorous text and droll art. For example, in a double-spread of four panels, Mathers depicts Lottie when she first reaches the beach and challenges a wave; then as the wave sweeps her up so that only her feet show, next in a barrage of bubbles and finally the discombobulated chicken says, "Is that my foot? Silly me, it's a starfish." Mathers builds pleasingly uncluttered compositions with simple lines, flat perspectives and bright colors, using detail sparingly but whimsically (after lunch Mattie knits a lime-green three-toed sock). A sunny, summery book that captures the feel of a long, eventful day at the beach, and one that will be remembered for many seasons to come. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689816065
• ISBN-13: 978-0689816062
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,188,557 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I hear voices" said Lottie., June 12, 2006

By	My Uncle Stu (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Lottie's New Beach Towel (Lottie's World) (Paperback)

In her afterward, author Petra Mathers informs us, in part, "...Looking back, I think Lottie's World on Crook Road in Oysterville has always been there. Finally, one day, the fog lifted and I could see it all clearly..." She later states, "Things happen whether I'm there or not, and I don't want you to miss anything." That could be taken as a cute invitation to children to engage their imaginations with her, along the lines of Shel Silverstein's, "If You are a Dreamer," intro to "Where the Sidewalk Ends." On the other hand, it could also be taken as a window into our author's psychotic process. That would be the more cynical interpretation, but after reading "Lottie's New Beach Towel," I'm really inclined to believe the latter. There is a surreal, dreamy disorganization to this book. The action starts with Lottie, the chicken, squeezing lemons when a beach towel arrives from her aunt. Soon she at the beach, hopping from her towel to the cooler, to the towel, to the cooler (the sands hot), and ultimately into the cool water. She mistakes her own chicken-foot for a starfish. So far, good stuff. Her buddy Herbie shows up on a boat. A couple half pages of choppy action and- with a call of "Hard to lee," which I imagine means something, they are stranded on an Island. Suddenly they are in the middle of a wedding. At this point, I was a tad befuddled. I thought I had been skipping pages. But after a nice ceremony and party, they find their way home and Lottie, bloated from excessive wedding cake, writes a thank you note to her aunt for the towel.

I don't know, I'm not really knocking the book. My daughter loved it, it's sort of cute and interesting. But it just made my mind spin a little, it was like Fellini directed an episode of Felix the Cat. It made me wonder whether Mathers is a genius writing a kid's book that was over my head or if her wiring is a little on the loose side and she's learned to channel her associations into mildly entertaining dreamy stories.

But thumbs up. It passes the important test in my home ("Read it again Daddy"), and the illustrations are quirky-quaint-cool.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A winner, March 2, 1999

By A Customer

I am a children's librarian, and I find this book to be extremely charming. The folksy paintings are a treat to behold, and the story and characters are cleverly drawn. There is much humor, both subtle and obvious, that helps make this a picture book to read more than once.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still one of our family's favorite picture books, June 25, 2004

By	Debbie Duncan (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lottie's New Beach Towel (Lottie's World) (Paperback)

My daughters are all teenagers now, and therefore pretty far over picture book age. Still, every summer we bring out Lottie's New Beach Towel to the family room coffee table so we can enjoy and re-appreciate the wry humor and simple, colorful illustrations on every page. It's the best of summer in a book.