From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2–SugarLoaf, a precocious kittenlike child (or childlike kitten), eagerly introduces readers to her family. Her world is one that listeners will recognize as she shares with them what she considers to be important: how she got her name, where she falls in the family order, her favorite color, her parents' occupations, etc. Her running monologue is reminiscent of many children's egocentric conversational style and allows Reynolds to throw in a handful of lines that will tickle the funny bone of both young and adult readers. My mom is a dentist for boys and girls. I'm growing teeth for her to take care of. The genial story can be shared with youngsters or read by beginning readers since the text is comprised of short, easy-to-read sentences with plenty of visual clues provided by the art. The cartoon illustrations contribute to the fun, expanding on SugarLoaf's statements and often painting a picture entirely different than her words alone imply.
–Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PreS-K. In a first-person voice, a little girl named SugarLoaf shares a peek into her family and favorite activities. She is so named by her dentist mom and baker dad because she looked sweet as sugar and felt warm as bread when she was born. The middle child between big brother Spoke and little sister SugarLump, she draws a lot, plays drums for her neighborhood (made of box-houses), and sails boats in puddles in the yard. The text isn't particularly distinctive. The real strength of this simple story, from the creator of
The Dot (2003), lies in the capricious watercolors, which provide charm, whimsy, and winning characters. The sketchily shaped figures appear human except for their catlike ears. Children will easily connect with the last sentence, which puts SugarLoaf's world into perspective: "Some things are big and small at the same time. Like me!" More books about the engaging SugarLoaf are promised.
Julie CumminsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
