Review by Booklist Review
When Tom's neighbor gives him a daffodil bulb, he responds, That's an onion. Still, they plant it and tend it until a shoot emerges. Now Tom sees it as a green beak. The growing shoot opens into five flat fingers, which blow about, resembling Grandpa's hairs in the wind. On a rainy day, the stalk emerges like a wet rocket. Later the stalk, its bent bud showing a bit of yellow, looks like a street lamp. Finally, Tom discovers that even a glorious daffodil in full bloom resembles something else, equally wonderful. While the growing plant provides the structure for this quiet picture book, the comfortable, cross-generational camaraderie adds another dimension to the story. Australian writer and illustrator Honey matches the simply written text with paintings that bring a potentially static story line to life with pleasingly varied compositions and subtly drawn features and gestures that reveal the characters' emotions. A welcome addition to read-aloud collections, this connects with picture books encouraging imagination as well as those on plants and gardens.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Tom's neighbor gives him a bulb and tells him it is a daffodil, but Tom thinks it looks more like an onion than a flower. Mr. Yilmaz teaches the boy how to plant it and care for it, and each time they meet, he asks, "How's the daffodil?" Tom always has an imaginative answer-it's a green beak, a hand with five flat fingers, a street light, etc. Finally, it really looks like a daffodil, and the boy's excitement is contagious as he grabs Mr. Yilmaz by the hand and takes him to what now looks like "a trumpet of gold!" The artwork, done in muted colors, is simple and soft and shows the child's imagination as he watches each stage of the bulb's growth. The relationship between the exuberant boy and his encouraging neighbor is a delight as they care for the plant. When a dog knocks over the pot, one of Mr. Yilmaz's grandchildren yells, "Call the plant ambulance!" A charming story, beautifully illustrated.-Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH (c) Copyright 2012. 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
(Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
