FICTION

Brownie & Pearl Make Good

illus. by Brian Biggs. 24p. S & S/Beach Lane Bks. Aug. 2012. Tr $13.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8636-2; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3913-9. LC 2010046230.
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PreS—In this charming life lesson, Brownie has traded her flip-flops for green tennis shoes. While running through the house, she and Pearl knock the radio off the table and it lies broken on the floor. The legs of a mother figure appear: "Uh-oh. Someone is not happy! Brownie and Pearl have to make good." With a broom and dustpan, "They tidy the kitchen….the playroom….Pearl's kitty bed." When they are unable to "tidy the radio," Brownie strums her broom guitar and sings into her broom microphone. This makes Mom happy, and she gives her daughter a loving hug. As in other books in the series, Biggs's boldly colored digital cartoon illustrations dramatize the action described in Rylant's simple text and give readers the opportunity to be a part of Brownie's contemporary world. A satisfying story for pre- and emerging readers.—Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI
In their latest cheery vehicle, little girl Brownie and cat Pearl break a radio while playing in the house. Simple sentences relay the facts ("The radio is long gone"), and up-close digital illustrations document the duo's efforts to "make good" by tidying the house for Mom, then discovering a creative radio alternative (singing). This is an accessible lesson book, but there's no preaching here.

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