Review by Booklist Review
In a cheerful school of possums, raccoons, and other woodland creatures, porcupines are left out on graduation day. While everyone else gets a bright, buoyant balloon to hold, the porcupines get bookmarks. A porcupine named Isabel tries to get around this school rule with her friend Walter, but their teacher, Ms. Quill, stands firm; a popped balloon might scare someone. Rankin's animal illustrations are wonderfully expressive and make the most of Isabel and Walter's comically doomed efforts: wearing a quill-covering box (but then you can't get through doorways), strapping pillows onto each other (but quills shred pillows), and wrapping Walter in packing bubbles ( But the other kids tried to pop him ). On the night before graduation, Isabel sees the solution in a bowl of gum drops. Isabel bursts through the classroom door, her face glowing and each of her quills topped with colorful beadlike objects. Her porcupine pals happily adopt her look, and the final page reveals Ms. Quill, a grown-up porcupine, in all her gumdrop glory. Underwood's story is entertainingly told and sweetly satisfying.--Nolan, Abby Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-On graduation day, every animal will receive a balloon-except for Isabel and Walter, because their quills don't mix well with inflatables. Their teacher promises them each a special graduation bookmark, but the young porcupines long for balloons. Iris sets out to design the perfect apparatus to shield their quills, and after several tries, she finds the perfect solution. Illustrations full of color and personality add to the story's depth and appeal. Authentic dialogue, a touch of humor, and Isabel's ingenious invention make this tale of desire and determination a keeper.-Amanda Moss Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, 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 Horn Book Review
Young porcupine Isabel is peeved: the other animals in her graduating class get balloons, while she is slated for a boring bookmark because her teacher believes that "balloons are not safe for porcupines." The wonderful denouement exposes the humanness of even stubborn grownups. The art is hilarious, especially vignettes showing an increasingly miffed Isabel receiving bookmarks at previous school celebrations. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A sweetly graphic demonstration that just a little ingenuity can resolve even the most daunting dilemmas. Ms. Quill's class is counting down the days until graduation, and Isabel and Walter, two porcupine friends, are feeling left out, knowing they will not receive balloons along with the rest of the animals in their class. Ms. Quill, a porcupine herself, warns the duo that balloons are not safe for them. Longing desperately for a balloon of her own, Isabel decides she will not settle for just another "lovely" bookmark. After some trial and errorand some of Walter's endless supply of candy (his father makes it), which provides both solution and subplotIsabel's persistence and resourcefulness save the day. Now "pop proof," Isabel, Walter and, most of all, Ms. Quill are able to (safely) enjoy their own balloons on graduation day. The attention to detail in Rankin's illustrations adds humor and charm to the story (check out Isabel's extensive collection of brightly colored Mary Janes), and the vivid colors make the pictures popsure to delight even the prickliest of readers. (Picture book. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
