Lucky Song

From School Library Journal PreSchool-K. Evie, a little girl in her pajamas, wants to do something, so she prepares by getting dressed. Everything seems to flow perfectly. She wants something new to wear and there on a hook is a new cap. She wants something new to play with and her grandfather makes her a kite. All through her lucky day when everything goes right, she is surrounded by her loving mother, grandmother, sister, and father. It seems too perfect and it is. It is only a song sung by her father. But if you want to hear it again, all you have to do is go back to the beginning. The colors and shapes are bright and basic, as are the words that run along the bottom. The backgrounds are undetailed color washes. They put the focus on the child and her interactions with her family. This book is as warm as a blanket wrapped around you with a hug, just when you need it. Deceptively simple and lovely.?Judith Gloyer, Milwaukee Public LibraryCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews Lucky Evie--what she wants, she gets. ``Now this little Evie wanted to do something, so she got ready. She wanted something new to wear, and on the hook she found it.'' When Evie wants to fly a kite, the wind takes it. When she wants supper, her grandma has it ready, and when she wants a song, her father sings it--the text of the book itself, an abstract ode to contentment. Evie appears to be about four, and in the last scene, points the way to readers: ``If you want to hear that song again, go back to the beginning.'' The comforts and joys of someone her age are well understood by Williams (Scooter, 1993, etc.), and the pictures, putting Evie center stage, emphasize the importance of the child in her benign and homey surroundings. Supporting her independence, though, are family members who one by one contribute to her activities. Intense colors and exuberant poses compensate for the sometimes unfinished look of the art--Evie's hair changes, and her grandfather is a funny, balding child/man. The overall effect is as lively and spontaneous as a child's perfect day--and that makes this a very lucky song for readers. (Picture book. 3-5) --