Some Birthday!

Rating:
Summary: Good children's book
Review: Polacco writes from her own past. While the trials and tribulations of growing up with divorced parents are presented realistically in Polacco's books, she is able to keep an upbeat perspective. Her relationship with her father shines through in this story. This book definitely tells the story of a very differnet birthday. Simple times can still have exciting experiences. This is a good way for children to be immersed in childhood from years past.

Rating:
Summary: The very exciting birthday
Review: This is a book about a dad and his daughter. It's the girl's birthday and the dad and the two brothers all forgot. Instead of celabrating her birthday, they go to a very scary place. If you want to know if they get to celebrate, go and read the book.

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2* Sometimes the Best Gifts Don¿t Even Come Packaged
Review: This yarn is about a young girl's presumably forgotten birthday, mixed in with a pseudo-scary hunt for the dreaded "Clay Pit Bottoms Monster." The girl, Patricia, and her brother visit their divorced dad, an interesting figure who suggests after work that they look for the monster and take the first ever picture of it. Patricia is disappointed that her birthday was apparently forgotten, but she, her dad, brother, and cousin experience fun, excitement, and the unmistakable strength of her father's love as they try to lure the creature out of the lake. There's a surprise birthday cake (decorated with a rubber monster on top!) waiting for Patricia after they run home thinking they've met the "monster." Polacco ends with a nice touch: Her protagonist reports "Then everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to me. My dad sang the loudest-and off-key, of course. That's my dad."

There's a bit too much narration in Polacco's story, and her inimitable illustrative style is not as fully realized as in "The Bee Tree " (1998), Casey at the Bat (1997), or some of her other best work. Still, this late 1950's period piece has all the elements that make this author/illustrator one of my favorites: Warmth, the building of memories, and a uniquely enjoyable illustrative style.