Have You Seen My Sister?

Have You Seen My Sister?

A boy finds many friends as he searches for his sister to bring her home for tea. Features die-cut pages. PreSchool-Grade 1-- Ben's little sister is missing at teatime, so he goes looking for her and meets up with a toy duck, a doll, and some stuffed animals along the way. When they find her, they all have tea. This cumulative story builds to a thud, with repetitive, unimaginative prose. The illustrations are careless and odd--the doll looks like she's carrying a plate of potatoes, not muffins, and details change throughout the book. The die-cut pages, which show the characters in their respective houses, are more gimmicky than clever, as the perspective is incorrect and awkward between scenes. All of this adds up to a very unsatisfying read. --Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, Buffalo, NY Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. When Ben's mother sends him to look for his little sister, he checks around the garden with several friends, portrayed in the late Le Cain's disarming illustrations as living in snug little homes that Ben imagines for them. Arthur, a toy duck, has a cozy, old-fashioned place in the toolshed; Plain Jane, a doll, is in an elegant, flower-festooned m‚nage under the weeping willow; nicely characterized stuffed animals live in the greenhouse and the garage. Little Emmy is finally discovered toasting sausages with ``Hot Cross Dragon'' in a hollow tree. Everybody contributes food, and they all go home to share ``tea'' with ``Mom'' (let's make up our minds: ``Mum'' would be fine). The affectionately detailed illustrations are charming; cutout windows for peeking into and out of the houses add a lovely touch. Unusually appealing. (Picture book. 2-7) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.