Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Gordon's (Hansel and Diesel) story of a stray sock and a lost mitten that meet in the big city and discover they're the perfect match has oodles of promise-along with a clever portmanteau title. The slickly imagined digital pictures have the familiar appeal of Pixar features (Gordon has worked on some of that studio's most popular movies), and the artist is especially good at infusing the metropolitan environments with drama, as scenes in a Laundromat or a subway tunnel show. In ingenious tests of Sock and Mitten's relationship, Sock shrinks in the wash, and Mitten gets unraveled by a speeding subway train. The text, however, often explains what's already clear from the pictures ("They made their way out to the sidewalk. Sock was so tiny that he fell behind") or adds detail that doesn't advance the plot. As adroitly sketched out as the concept is, it still reads more like a premise than a full treatment. Ages 4-8. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A forgotten pink mitten and a lone blue sock meet on a city sidewalk in this picture book about friendship and adventure. Mitten, who is stuck atop a fence post, sees a sock fall out of a laundry basket being carried by a passerby. Both lost and lonely, Mitten and Sock set off together to find their other halves. After a harrowing experience with a trash can, they sneak into a closed Laundromat to get clean. Sock, who is made from wool, shrinks in the dryer; back outside, he is grabbed by two dogs that tug and stretch him to his natural size. As he recovers, the friends fall down a grate and Mitten is unraveled by a passing subway train. Sock carefully carries the pile of pink yarn to a knitting shop where he works all night stitching her back to her familiar form. Mitten and Sock finally realize that they have found their missing halves in each other; they hug, and "from then on they were... smitten." The cheery computer-generated cartoons will appeal to younger children, while the humor, wordplay, and themes will attract older readers. Gordon balances colorful spreads with ample white space, and the personified garments are engaging. This fast-paced tale will make a fine addition to story programs and is perfect for family sharing.-Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI (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 Kirkus Book Review
Shared adventures weave the fabric of romance for two lost items of clothing in this screen-ready odyssey "based," as the title page notes, "on an original concept by Susan Siegel." Meeting on a sidewalk, a pink mitten and a worn blue sock set out to find new partners--never suspecting that their search will involve unfortunate encounters with a smelly trash bin, a Laundromat dryer ("You should have told me you were wool"), rowdy dogs and a passing subway train. Endowing his castoffs with expressive eyes and mouths, Gordon depicts them in clear colors and poses them in clean-lined, accurately drawn urban settings. Having rescued each other from various predicaments, the two reach a clothing store at last, then realize that they make the perfect pair just as they are. Younger readers may need the title pun (which is also used as a punch line) explained, but should have no trouble following the main thread. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
