One Word from Sophia

PreS-Gr 1—Poor Sophia. Her birthday is coming, and she only has One True Desire (a pet giraffe), but four major obstacles stand in her way, namely her mother (a judge), father (a businessman), uncle (a politican), and grandmother (a strict disciplinarian). She gives each member of her biracial family an individualized presentation including visuals and supporting material, but each one says no and critiques her presentation as being too wordy. In a last ditch attempt, Sophia does a group presentation of one word ("Please!"), accompanied by a compelling pair of pleading eyes. This effort garners (surprise!) success, so she follows it up with two equally important words—"Thank you!" Averbeck's text is a fun take on kindergarten meets the board of directors. Kids will get it even if they don't understand a few of the words (effusive, loquacious, verbose). Ismail's watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations are childlike in the best possible way—featuring bold colors and faces showing great expressions, Sophia's drawings, a pooping giraffe, and just the right amount of detail. They are a perfect complement to the text.