Goldie Is Mad: Goldie is Mad Picturebook

From Publishers Weekly The big sister from Good as Goldie pitches a fit when she sees her brother clutching her favorite doll in Goldie Is Mad by Margie Palatini. At first Goldie wants him to disappear, but repetitive, gradually softening phrases show how she mellows, using her doll as a buffer. This recap of an everyday squabble models a logical (though not guaranteed) way out of a tantrum. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal PreSchool-K-Goldie expresses anger with flailing arms, flaring eyes, and a constricted or screaming mouth. She is angry because her baby brother has sucked the hair of Veronica, her junior fashion doll. When the preschooler states, "I hate Nicholas," she and Veronica get a time-out "to think and be sorry." Initially, "we don't think we are sorry. We think we still hate Nicholas!" Goldie imagines the baby disappearing, then regrets the loss of his post-bathtime smell and hugs. Just after she and Veronica make a contrite apology to an unseen, unheard authority figure, Nicholas uses the doll's arm as a chew toy, leaving the child to wonder once again how she feels about her younger sibling. Goldie's simply stated monologue conveys her conflict with her brother and the range of resulting feelings. As in Good as Goldie (Hyperion, 2000), Palatini uses ink-pen and watercolor cartoon drawings in bold, primary colors to portray her protagonist's emotions. When Goldie is angry, her image fills most of a page; when her feelings soften, her image shrinks in size. The book will work for storytimes and laptimes, to help children identify feelings, come to terms with a younger sibling, or identify the complexities of any relationship.