Another Review at MyShelf.Com

My Pop Pop and Me

by Irene Smalls
Illustrated by Cathy Ann Johnson



      This story for very young children shows a young preschooler making a cake with his Pop Pop. The rhyming text is filled with sounds - clink clink, sizzle sizzle, twisk twisk - and action. The lovely watercolor illustrations do a wonderful job of fleshing out the simple text - showing an active happy child and his loving grandfather. And Johnson's use of occasional fantastic illustrations (such as the grandfather and child carrying a huge cake as they walk across the top of the kitchen timer) really helps add a whimsical, imaginative touch. In all, I was much more delighted in the illustrations than the text, which really strains sometimes for a sound effect and frequently deviates from the set meter, making it somewhat challenging to read aloud. Still, the book is a warm hug of affection and a perfect gift for any child with a special Pop Pop. And the book comes with a tasty sounding lemon cake recipe (though I wonder if the illustrator should have tried making the cake before drawing it - but just for the record, it's yum.)

The Book

Little, Brown and Company
May 2005
Hardcover
0316734225
Picture book [Age Level: Ages 4 - 8]
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Jan Fields
Reviewed 2006
NOTE: Reviewer Jan Fields is the editor of Kid Magazine Writers emagazine and has written dozens of stories and articles for the children's magazine market.
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