Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Who says all happy endings need to look the same? Not Lavoie, who debuts with a crisply narrated story of hard-won (and perhaps short-lived) success. Toto is a pink worm whose red-lined segments make him look like a fashion-forward sock with googly eyes. Those eyes are aimed squarely at a red apple in a tree, but "The apple is up high. Toto is down low." Art and ingenuity to the rescue! Grabbing his paintbrush (With what appendages? Who cares!), Toto turns a stick into a decoy worm, hitches a ride on the bird that swoops down to grab it-and winds up in the wrong tree. Toto's paintbrush makes two more appearances as he attempts to reach the apple, but it isn't until a girl named Didi procures the apple and drops it on the ground that Toto gets his chance. Lavoie's art is as dead simple as his writing, and his gouache paintings reduce the story's elements to their bare essentials. And if "Toto is happy" even after Didi keeps eating the dropped apple, swallowing the worm whole, who are readers to complain? Ages 2-5. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This little worm really wants an apple.Sadly, Toto is way down on the ground, and the apple hangs way up from a tree. Whats a worm to do? Spotting a bird flying nearby, Toto gets an idea. With the help of a stick decoy painted earthworm-pink, Toto tricks the bird and hitches a ride on its back. That apple is as good as Totos, it seems. Yet triumph is fleeting: the unlucky little worm ends up in the wrong tree. Even worse, the apple's now farther away than ever. Another idea pops up, however, when Toto sees a squirrel. By now, readers should know what to expect. Still, Lavoies sparse text unfurls the story at a lively pace, encouraging fast page turns while focusing on Totos actions. The book offers ample opportunities for readers to speculate on the action all the way through. Uncluttered gouache pictures full of open space and large, solid shapes also make this Qubecois import an easygoing read. The star, of course, is Toto, who expresses boundless optimism via a pair of communicative eyes. After a few fruitless attempts, the plucky worm ends up right where it started. Soon, a young child obtains the coveted apple, dropping it carelessly when distracted by an airplane. Toto knows that its now or never. An unexpected ending reaches new levels of silliness. A madcap miniodyssey sure to thrill readers. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
