From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2–This deceptively simple story with a comic-book feel is a paean to creativity and friendship across cultures. When Zuzu smiles at the new boy next door and he doesn't smile back, she thinks that he may need a telescope; she makes one and delivers it to his home. When he doesn't appear outside, she thinks that perhaps he needs sunglasses, and so she makes him a pair. Finally, her wishing cake (bread and jam piled in layers and a dandelion on top) draws him out of the house and overcomes a language barrier, making him smile back. The mixed-media artwork has an almost computer-generated look, with pictures of real bread and photographic negatives worked into the panels. The minimalist text is included either in narrative boxes or dialogue bubbles. Zuzu's large face, square eyes, and red hair bring to mind the Powerpuff girls and other recent cartoons and, as such, may appeal to children despite the message-driven story. Older preschoolers and beginning readers might appreciate the protagonist's persistence and clever ideas.
–Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Zuzu loves making things with paper bags, boots, bottle caps, and big boxes, and her simple crafts are a delightful part of this friendship story. When a new boy moves next door, she tries to make friends, but he just sits inside and never smiles. Undaunted, she makes him a telescope (from a cardboard roll, paint, and plastic wrap); sunglasses (from camera film); and, finally, a wishing cake (from layers of bread and jam, with a dandelion candle). Eventually he joins her, and on the very last page, he is pictured racing around by himself in a cardboard boxcar he has made. Zuzu does not understand the language his mother speaks, and the cross-cultural connection is a quiet addition to the warm story. Johnson, who wrote and illustrated
Henry Hikes to Fitchburg (2000), uses bright, bouncy collage-type pictures to show the fun of making exciting gifts and making a friend.
Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
