Miranda's Day to Dance [Hardcover]

Schaefer (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Each day of the week, a different South American animal brings Miranda a tropical fruit, from which she creates a headdress to wear on Sunday, her day to dance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With a nod to Carmen Miranda, the young protagonist in this mishmash of a picture book dances a number with fruit atop her head. On Monday and on each day thereafter, Miranda receives a gift of fruit from the animals of the jungle. Schaefer's debut text provides gentle reinforcement of counting and days of the week but offers little in terms of suspense, surprise or a strong story line. A notes section at the end of the book features the names of the South American fruits and animals featured in the artwork but delivers only cursory information. Schaefer's dark and scratchy pastels can be difficult to decipher, and while her stylized compositions are sometimes effectively moody, her figures more often appear oddly misshapen. Ages 3-5.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1?Schaefer's original counting book also introduces the days of the week and a number of South American animals and products. Each day a different creature brings little Miranda fruit or nuts. On Monday, a green tree snake brings one mango, and, on Tuesday, a howler monkey delivers two bananas. The gifts continue to arrive until, on Saturday, a mouse presents her with six Brazil nuts. On Sunday, no gifts arrive, but that's all right because it's Miranda's day to dance. She dances the day away in her fruit-bedecked hat (a la Carmen Miranda). While effective as both a concept book and a minimalist introduction to the area's flora and fauna, Miranda's Day to Dance is less successful as a story. It lacks drama, and, rather than building to a climax, follows the straight path to its mild surprise?Miranda's recital complete with headdress. Also, Miranda never emerges as a distinct personality. Schaefer's museum-calibre pastel illustrations, while beautiful, lack child appeal. Her palette is rather somber, and the pictures are generally static. Stick with Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Philomel, 1981) or, for Latin American flavor, Frane Lessac's Caribbean Alphabet (Tambourine, 1994).?Jeanne Marie Clancy, Upper Merion Township Library, King of Prussia, PA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027811115
• ISBN-13: 978-0027811117
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,625,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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