Best's (Taxi! Taxi!) nostalgic paean to the Spaldeen, the pink rubber ball that was once a playground staple, has ample bounce at its start, yet its one-note narrative stretches the concept a bit thin. Fortunately, Palmisciano's (previously teamed with Best for Getting Used to Harry) oil pastel pictures keep these busy pages fresh; she endows the animated, amusingly exaggerated characters with plenty of silly antics and facial expressions. City gal Annie would rather play ball with her "lucky Sky-High Super Pinkie" than do anything else, much to the chagrin of her teacher (who would prefer that she focus on the spelling lesson) and her aunt, father and mother (who wish that she shared their respective interests in knitting, bugs and exercise). Annie and her friends play punchball with her Pinkie only on Sundays, when the superintendent of their apartment building is away; he has already confiscated all the other kids' balls. Though Annie's ball meets the same fate, its journey there takes a surprising twist, and the girl becomes somewhat of a neighborhood celebrity. Best writes in a cheerful, colloquial voice, but the repeated bouncing, squeezing and smelling of Annie's balls here grows tiresome, and seasoned ballplayers may find her easy parting from her beloved Spaldeen suspect at story's end. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-Young Annie loves everything about her Spaldeen, a small, pink ball that is great to squeeze, smell, and play with. She lives for Sundays when the kids from her New York City neighborhood gather in a field to play punchball. Annie's biggest fear is that the building's superintendent will get his hands on her Pinkie and add it to the collection he's garnered from kids who have broken his written rule, "No Ball Playing or Else!" One Sunday, Annie gets "last licks" during the game and belts a tremendous drive that soars out of the playground and over trees, cars, and her apartment building and is finally caught by the super. Though he offers to return it to her, Annie decides that he should keep it for his collection. The next day, a thank-you note and a new Sky-High Super Pinkie arrive at her apartment. Brightly colored oil-pastel paintings dance across the pages mimicking the tone of the zany text. The endpapers contain quotes from a number of people, including Sandy Koufax and William Steig, about their youthful experiences with these balls. A fun read for all, Last Licks will be especially popular in areas where playing with Spaldeens is, or was, a favorite pastime.
Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
