Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3^-5. The baby animals are on the move: "Tip-toe, tippity toe," says the mouse; "Slither-slee, slithery slee," sings the snake, "down the branch and round the tree, / Off to Grandma's house goes me." Other little creatures are going to visit their grandmothers as well. The duck is off as soon as he hatches; young mole digs his way to grandma's house. The animals wind up in the water or on the shore, all with the same thought: "Wherever Grandma's house is found--/ In hole, in tree, or underground, / In web, or bog, or in a nest--/ Why, Grandma house is always best." The text is pert and full of bounce, but it is the watercolor artwork that carries the day. The backgrounds are gauzy yet the rendering of the creatures is precise; creatures retain their essential animality but still have a certain knowing sparkle in their eyes. The combination of rhythmic text, motion-filled art, and, of course, the sentiment makes this a winning choice for story hours. --Ilene Cooper
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Yolen's (Child of Faerie, Child of Earth) rhyming picture book chirps a chipper spring song about young animals off to a visit with Grandma. Little Mouse moves "tip-toe, tippity-toe," Little Mole begins to "dig-deep, diggity deep" and Little Spider does a "creep-crawl creepity crawl," each headed to a different but equally wonderful, place: Grandma's house. Though each has planned a separate journey, the animals find themselves playfully hopping, slithering and digging over and under one another as they all move along a grassy meadow. But as Yolen sums up: "Wherever Grandma's house is found--/ In hole, in tree, or underground,/ In web, or bog, or in a nest--/ Why, Grandma's house is always best." Featuring soft and cheery yellows and greens, Molk's (Good Job, Oliver!) sunny watercolors capture both the exuberance of the young woodland animals and the sprouting, hatching newness of the season. The book's horizontally expansive trim size helps convey the wealth of marshy textures and a sense of the fun journey as the creatures' anticipation increases. Ages 2-6. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Little Mouse, Frog, Mole, Snake, Duck, and Spider are off to visit their grandmas-each one setting off, accompanied by its mother, across a double-page spread. Then, page by page, in repetitive, cumulative order: "Tip-toe, tippity toe/Hip-hop, hippity hop/Dig-deep, diggity deep-" they run. "Wherever Grandma's house is found-/In hole, in tree, or underground,/In web, or bog, or in a nest-/Why, Grandma's house is always best." The final quiet pond scene shows three generations of each family visiting together. Molk's soft watercolors feature larger-than-life-sized pond and woodland animals that fill the pages with action, impelling readers to turn each page, just as Yolen's bouncing three-line verses beg to be sung. A fine introduction to reading and to the skills of listening for sounds, rhyme, and repetition, this short piece will find many uses in the classroom. It's bound to become a favorite with little people and the grown-ups who read to them, as well.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A host of baby animals, including Little Mouse, Little Frog, and Little Snake, tip-toe, hop, dig, slither, scratch, and creep their way to Grandma's house in this bouncy book. Rhyme, repetition, and the playful, onomatopoeic language make this especially appealing for read-alouds. Large watercolors in earthy tones of gray, green, and brown are soft and fluid. From HORN BOOK Fall 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
