Okie, Dokie Artichokie [Hardcover]

Grace Lin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2003 | Age Level: 2 and up

"Hey, if I get too loud or something, you can just bang on the ceiling and let me know," Marklee says to his new downstairs neighbor, Artichoke. But he never thought that someone could be so sensitive! No matter what Marklee does, from watching TV to talking on the phone, Artichoke bangs on the ceiling. And then he won't answer his door when Marklee tries to talk to him about it. "How rude!" thinks Marklee. But as holiday time approaches, Marklee decides to give him a second chance, and is surprised to discover that tall Artichoke has been bumping his head on the ceiling all along! With sweetness and a touch of suspense, Grace Lin shows how a little misunderstanding can be solved by simple communication.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-Marklee, a friendly monkey, welcomes his new downstairs neighbor, a giraffe named Artichoke, to the apartment building by telling him to bang on the ceiling if any noise is bothersome. However, Artichoke then proceeds to bang after any sound. When the monkey ventures downstairs to apologize, the giraffe doesn't answer the door (he's wearing earphones and listening to a record). Marklee grows angry at what he perceives to be rude behavior. At Christmastime, a package for Artichoke arrives at Marklee's by mistake and he throws it away out of spite. Later he regrets his action and takes it to the "old grump." The box holds "inflatable Velcro ceiling pillows," so apartment-dwelling giraffes don't bump their heads and disturb their neighbors. The two neighbors become friends after the misunderstanding is sorted out. Urban children will relate to the nuances of apartment living depicted in the simple, clear text. Lin invitingly illustrates Marklee and Artichoke, decorating their clothing and apartments in colorful designs. While the protagonist's change of heart is brought on by yuletide sentiment, this is really a story about the misinterpretations that can arise from first impressions at any time. A tale with a gentle message for sharing throughout the year.
Rachel G. Payne, New York Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Marklee the monkey resolves a misunderstanding with his new neighbor, Artichoke the giraffe, in this combination friendship and Christmas story. The friendly monkey asks Artichoke to bang on the ceiling if Marklee is being too noisy. During the next few months, Artichoke seems to bang constantly, and Marklee decides that his new neighbor is "an old grump." He even throws away a package for Artichoke that comes to his door by mistake. He softens when he realizes that his neighbor is alone for Christmas, and he retrieves the package, which turns out to be ceiling pillows--to stop Artichoke from accidentally bumping his head on the ceiling! The brightly colored, engaging illustrations, presented from what seems to be a giraffe's-eye perspective, add warmth to the story. Children will sympathize with Marklee as he goes about his normal activities punctuated with bangs coming from below; prescient ones may suspect the giraffe's long neck is to blame before the end. The final illustration shows the neighbors, now friends, seated by the fireplace, sharing cocoa and cookies. Diane Foote
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 30 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (September 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670036234
• ISBN-13: 978-0670036233
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,457,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hello! Thanks so much for your interest in me and my books!

I grew up in Upstate NY with my parents and 2 sisters, whom are featured in many of my books, including "Dim Sum For Everyone!" and my novels, "The Year of the Dog" and "The Year of the Rat." My mother and I were the star characters in my first book, "The Ugly Vegetables"--I cut both my sisters out of that story! They were quite upset with me and made me promise never to cut them out again. And since then, I haven't...yet.

While many of my books highlight my family, not all of them do. My Newbery Honor-winning novel "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon," is an Asian inspired fantasy that some people call a Chinese 'Wizard of Oz,' and my early reader "Ling & Ting" is inspired by the old 'Flicka, Dicka & Ricka' books I read when I was young.

I hope you enjoy my books. Please visit my website: www.gracelin.com for more info about them (behind the scene stories and pictures) as well as other amusing anecdotes!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book about conflict resolution, July 12, 2004

By 

professor s "vsims68" (Winter Park, FL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Okie, Dokie Artichokie (Hardcover)

My daughter who is 3 and I both love this book. It shows both children and adults that most disagreements really stem from miscommunication, not from malice. It has beautiful pictures and a great message. In a sea of children's books, this is really an unknown gem!