Customer Reviews

Zelda and Ivy

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This book is absolutely darling. The author gets right to the action: two sisters play together, camp out together, and interact in real, humorous, and loving ways. Everyone who has grown up with a sister (or brother for that matter) will love these. Illustrations are gorgeous too. Really a perfect book (I gave one to my over-40 sister too...)

This book is a pure delight. The two fox sisters are adorable in themselves. But the sparse, lively right-on text makes this story priceless. Kvasnosky has captured all the wonders and horrors of having a sibling in a few memorable scenes. I particularly like the way she divided the vignettes into ultra-short "chapters." The last page -- and the last line -- made me laugh out loud. It's brilliant.

Those first two reviewers need to get a sense of humor and an understanding of children's literature. As a school librarian I shudder to think of my shelves filled only with saccharine, diadactic, "this-is-how-you-should-behave" books. I'd never have any children in here!

Kids need books that deal with real-life situations in a sweet and humorous way - and sibling rivalry is certainly one of those.

The Zelda and Ivy series is wonderful.

Kvasnosky catches perfectly the family dynamic of the Alphasister with adoring second child. The book is "Rug Rat" likewith the older sister manipulating and spoofing the younger sister at her whim. Perfect. This is a book of sweet memories for me, the ultimate younger sibling -- I have 4 older brothers and sisters. The book has helped modify my oldest childs behavior towards his sister...Being called a Zelda in our family is not good. END

If you are buying a gift for school-age sisters, you won't go wrong with Zelda and Ivy.

Just read the most annoying children's book. It is called "Zelda and Ivy" they are foxes. This gist is Zelda is the oldest and bosses her little sister Ivy. In the first chapter Zelda has Ivy do tricks on the swing and she falls. Second chapter Zelda paints, cuts, and puts glitter on Ivy's tail but doesn't want her done. Third chapter I hoped would be better, Ivy wants a baton like Zelda. Zelda tells her the bits of crayon are magic fairy dust and Ivy wishes for one. Zelda gives her the baton in the middle of the night. In the morning Ivy realizes Zelda gave her the baton and suggests they share it and Zelda says "okay I'll go first." The book has no lessons what so ever. Nothing is learned just Zelda being mean to her sister.

I've read that the author of the Zelda and Ivy series likes to capture some of the more realistic ways that sisters treat each other. I believe that she has done that in this book. However, I don't think I'd want my little ones reading this book on their own. When I read this as a bed time story we can discuss--Why do you think Zelda did that? How do you think Ivy felt? But I wouldn't want my six year old reading this on her own and getting ideas of how to put her little sister up to doing dangerous things.

I'm also a children's librarian and I don't think this book is cute or funny at all.
I don't see the humor in Zelda making her little sister do increasingly dangerous stunts on the swing until she falls and cries. Zelda goes to her crying sister and tells her, 'It's ok, I have a hard time with that trick too.' End of that episode. Would a parent be amused when their child tries to duplicate that little scenario and ends up with a broken arm or a face full of gravel?
The second vignette is almost amusing. Zelda tricks her little sister into letting her "doozy up" her tail by cutting it and painting it and adding glitter. Ivy doesn't want to do it from the getgo and then when she offers to do Zelda's tail she just hustles Ivy off to take a bath. I was waiting for the part when the girls long suffering (as she must be) mother stumbles upon the hijinks and reprimands Zelda. It doesn't need to be sugar coated and sappy but I don't believe it's necessary to leave the stories on a mean spirited, no consequences note.
The illustrations are adorable and the idea of a snarky older sister and a tagalong little sister is great, but why does it have to be so mean?

Zelda and Ivy is a book that attempts to be "amoral" and true-to-life but instead glorifies the beastly behavior of the older sister toward the younger. I was not an only child, but the cruelty, selfishness, manipulativeness, and downright hatefulness of Zelda's behavior is foreign to my experience. Zelda's only brief moment of compassion is thoroughly spoiled by the ending, and the subtle message of this book--that such behavior is normal and acceptable--is revolting to me.

Most parents raise our children not so that they'll be horrible monsters but so that they will be decent, fair-minded, and generous human beings and a credit to the human race. This book does not belong on the bookshelf of any parent who has that goal.

I bought this book thru my son's school's Scholastic Book Fair. My son is 3 yrs old. After reading it, I couldn't believe that Scholastic would carry such a book. I think it's awful, and I don't see the "moral" of this story at all. The younger sister gets the short end of the stick every time from her never-remourseful older sister. Yes, at the end, the older sister does give her much beloved baton to the younger sister, but she still has the last words "I am the oldest, so I will go first." when they set out to twirl the baton. I am completely disappointed with this book. I don't want this type of message to be passed to my children. I don't want it in my house, and I am too ashamed of it to even sell it to anyone else that has children. This type of book should not be read to children, in my opinion.