Great-Uncle Felix - Hardcover

PreSchool-Grade 2 When Sam's Great-uncle Felix, an elegantly dressed rhinoceros, comes for a visit, an eager Sam is wait ing at the bus stop. In Felix' honor, Sam has made a suitcase holder on the back of his bike, but the suitcase falls off, eroding Sam's confidence. As the two walk home, Felix shows Sam a yo- yo that once belonged to Sam's mother. The yo-yo sparks some warm reminis cences about Great-aunt Rosepoi gnant and understated memories of a well-loved person now lost. After a string of incidents in which Sam contin ues to feel inept, Great-uncle Felix gently reassures him and affirms that Sam does indeed occupy a unique place in Felix' heart: it is Sam who put the great in Great-uncle Felix. The softly colored pencil and watercolor art con centrates on the two rhinoceroses and satisfyingly shows their affectionate re lationship. Each page is bordered with a single pink line with a simple repeated pattern, and settings within provide just the right amount of detail. Cazet has again illuminated a significant emotion al moment and given dignity to a child's need to feel special. Leda Schubert, Vermont Department of Education, Montpelier
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Sam meets his visiting Great-uncle Felix at the bus stop, eager to show off his invention for carrying suitcases. On the way home, they swap family stories and Great-uncle Felix gives the boy his own mother's champion yo-yo; they share memories of Sam's late Great-aunt Rose, who always carried extra peppermints in her purse. Sam's invention, however, is not the success he had hoped for, and he feels terrible: "I can't do anything right. . . . I wanted to do something for you that nobody else could do. Just me." Great-uncle Felix reassures him, "You already have!. . . you put the great in Great-uncle Felix." Cazet's soft watercolors of anthropomorphic animals work perfectly with the sensitive text. Though this delicate sliver of story would have benefited from a bit more content, it remains a quiet and satisfying evocation of intergenerational love and mutual respect. A Richard Jackson Book. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.