From Publishers Weekly
Mavis Trumble doesn't long to be a princess. Instead, she says, "I want to make wishes come true." She practices to become a fairy godmother by "popping up out of nowhere" (e.g., leaping from a stack of packages at a department store), waving a wand and winking sagely into her mirror. Mavis is so busy training that she barely notices the new girl at school, Cindy, a beleaguered, drably dressed sort who could use some godmothering of her own. The foreground of Bluthenthal's (The La-Di-Da Hare) comical, cartoonlike illustrations feature Mavis's giddy antics, but included are surreptitious glimpses of Cindy, who lugs packages and does laundry for her snobby, identical twin stepsisters. Krensky (My Teacher's Secret Life) brings Mavis and Cindy together on the eve of a school Halloween party. As the ball nears, Cindy designs a pink gown, and Mavis enthusiastically sews it; thus the dual heroines help to fulfill each other's wishes. As sympathetic as it is witty, this prince-less "Cinderella" should charm its readers. Ages 4-6. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Mavis wants to be a fairy godmother when she grows up because she likes to make wishes come true. She begins practicing popping out of nowhere and worrying about granting the wrong wish by mistake. She goes to the library to find out about wands and tries looking sweet and kind. When she tries to turn the class mouse into a coachman, she doesn't succeed. Until this point, the story is fast-paced and funny. Then Mavis meets Cindy, who has nothing to wear to the Halloween party (though her stepsisters will have lovely costumes). On a two-page spread that could have used more imaginative art, Mavis tries ineffectively to use her wand to give Cindy a dress, only to wind up sewing a dress instead. The ending is a little limp, but the premise is funny enough, and the cartoon-style artwork does contain laughs, especially as Mavis imagines how wishes might go astray. For larger collections.
Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
