Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At first, three-year-old Emmy gets away with peccadilloes like spilling orange juice on her dad's trousers and using her older sister's art materials ("Mom told her she should share with me./ After all... I'm only three"), pinning the blame on her siblings. But when her shenanigans spiral out of control (an early morning ice cream feast, setting loose her brother's pet lizard, causing the bathtub to overflow), her family wises up. "Mom pointed to the stairs and said,/ 'That's it, young lady!/ GO TO BED!' " British illustrator Parkins (Dick King-Smith's Sophie books) works in cartoon-style ink and wash, using vignettes to focus on Emmy's yowls of indignation and insouciant smiles and having fun with Emmy's more elaborate misdeeds. Newcomer Krasnesky writes tightly disciplined verse that never flags, sprinkled with parenthetical asides and modern phrases (" 'That's SO not true, Mom,' Suzie said"). Mischievous Emmy is a little too manipulative and self-serving to sympathize with completely-but that doesn't make her any less authentic a character. This is a fast-moving crowd-pleaser made for reading aloud. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Three-year-old Emmy wreaks havoc on her entire household. From spilling orange juice on Daddy at breakfast, to adorning her brother's pet iguana in a bathing suit and letting the bathtub overflow, she's got curiosity and mayhem covered. Krasnesky tells the story with flowing rhyme that accommodates the humor of the plot and heightens Parkins's comical cartoon illustrations. "I tiptoed into Tommy's room/and found a way to use the broom/to get the lizard off the shelf,/entirely all by myself." As the star of this story gets into different sticky situations, she continually responds with the adage that "I'm only three," so not much should be expected of her. While her mother seems to respond to the little devil's helpless plea, it isn't long before things snowball and Emmy finds herself in a serious time-out.-Adrienne Wilson, Edith Wheeler Memorial Library, Monroe, CT (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
While little Emmy appears sweet, her looks are deceiving. She superglues her sister's skateboard to her dollhouse, claims her family's possessions as pirate loot and steals her brother's lizard for a bikini-clad bath-time swim. Emmy masterminds a (practically) foolproof plan to avoid trouble through tantrums and sulking. Her mother initially dismisses her poor choices"after allShe's only three"though Emmy's manipulation eventually runs its course. "I sadly closed my bedroom door. / I may be here until I'm four." Parkins's pen-and-ink cartoons utilize disproportionate facial features for comical effect. Watercolors provide dashes of varied colors against bright white backgrounds. Emmy is physically charming: Her rosy cheeks, disheveled hair and bare feet convey a youthful exuberance. Her animated expressions perfectly capture her scheming antics. Wearing solid oversized shirts, striped leggings and matching ribbons, she pouts her way into her family's hearts. Although the verse doesn't have the suppleness of Silverstein, it does partake of his subversiveness. Overall, the result is a youngster more exasperating than endearing, one that many an older sibling will recognize with grim delight. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
