From Publishers Weekly
Mama has a big night out and she's as gussied up as Cinderella (she's even accessorized her poufy gown with a tiara). But her little daughter doesn't like the idea one bit. "Why can't I come with you?" she asks. "Because it's nighttime and nighttime is grown-up time," Mama replies. Unassuaged, the girl voices her fears about separation via fantasy situations that could arise ("Mama, you might get kidnapped by pirates"; "The cat could have kittens"). Each fantasy dominates a spread, but Gardner (The Book of Princesses) cleverly keeps a sliver of the picture firmly anchored in real life, and she sensibly refrains from showing Mama waffling. Once Mama arrives at her fancy dress ball (where a tuxedoed date awaits), the spreads are split horizontally by festive ribbons, and readers can follow both Mama's grown-up fun and the girl's pretend play with her baby-sitter. Gardner may stretch the perimeter of most readers' reality in making the night out so extravagant (cocktails and dancing are plausible, but a ride home on an elephant?), yet the choice to make the event fairy tale-like neatly avoids grittier issues surrounding a single parent's social life. This tale keeps the mood light while firmly conveying that mamas deserve the chance to trip the light fantastic-and that their children can happily survive. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-K-A reassuring tale about a little girl who worries about her mother leaving for the evening, but who ends up having a fine time. When the child shares her fears that Mama might be eaten by a monster or kidnapped by pirates, the parent calmly sets her straight. The baby-sitter arrives and plays with her, and the contented child falls asleep. The story is told entirely in dialogue, with different fonts distinguishing the girl's words from those of her mother. The imaginary scenarios are depicted in bold, colorful spreads, which are clearly distinguished from the white backgrounds and simpler coloring of the real world. As she plays with Daisy, the imaginary scenes continue in a more pleasant vein, this time showing her parents in a series of festive settings. Her concluding dream brings back the giants and monsters from her earlier worries, but this time they are nonthreatening. There's no real transition that explains why the girl so instantly forgets her fear and starts playing with the baby-sitter. Instead, readers see her newfound calmness through the pictures. This lighthearted approach may comfort anxious young kids, and the mildly silly illustrations make it interesting enough for general interest as well.
Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, ORCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
