Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With ``hair as wispy as cobwebs in ceilings,'' old Lily Laceby casts a wistful vote for eternal youth as she receives a gaggle of unexpected guests. Ages 3-7. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-- Another tender, good-humored encounter between young and old from the author of Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge (Kane/Miller, 1985). As old Lily Laceby dozes peacefully in her armchair, her barrel-shaped dog, Butch Aggie, pricks an ear at the quiet click of car doors outside, cocks her head to the crunch of feet on the garden path, bristles at the mutter of voices, rumbles at the rattle of the doorknob, and finally breaks into barking when fists pound on the door. Lily wakes with a start, gets up and lets in--a horde of family and friends wishing her a ``Happy Birthday!'' ``Are you really ninety?'' whispers Emily, her great-great-granddaughter. ``Inside I'm only four-and-a-half, like you,'' Lily answers, ``but don't tell anyone.'' Fox builds up treamy scenes from Lily's life parade past in a wordless series of side panels. Emily looks older than four and a half, but that's a minor bobble in this happy collaboration. --John Peters, New York Public Library (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
Fiction: PB Nearly ninety, Lily Laceby dozes on a wild winter's evening, while noises start to disturb her dog. The text reads beautifully, and the sparks of excitement are absolutely at one with the artwork. Review, p. 758. Horn Rating: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration. Reviewed by: kj (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Old Lily Laceby--her bones ""as creaky as floorboards at midnight""--lives alone with her elderly dog. On a windy night, she sits dreaming by the fire, reliving (in reverse order) the events of her long life, unaware of the rustling and peeping going on outdoors. The noises become loud knocks, then shouts; when Lily finally unlocks the door, she discovers her entire family--four more generations--plus 47 friends, all come to celebrate her 90th birthday. Yet, ""Inside I'm only four-and-a-half,"" she confides to the youngest. A compassionate portrait of old age, memorably extended in Denton's sharply observed pen and colored, pencil illustrations, which use frames for the three parallel stories of events in the past, outside, and by the fire. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
