Review by Booklist Review
From picture-book author Manushkin comes a lighthearted chapter-book series about a well-meaning, mischief-prone young girl. In this entry, Katie struggles with a feeling nearly every kid will recognize: I want to help, but no one will let me. After her parents turn down her offers to lend a hand while they bring soup to a neighbor and fix the car, Katie decides to make herself useful in the kitchen, where she tries to cook dinner and, predictably, creates a mess of epic proportions. Her parents' good-humored reaction to Katie's efforts ends the story on a reassuring note. The evenly paced dialogue and basic vocabulary are well tuned to the interests and abilities of new readers and are nicely extended in Lyon's colorful, warm paint-and-pencil illustrations. The pictures create engaging characters in Katie and her Asian family, and although their specific ethnicity isn't mentioned, they bring much-needed diversity to the early-reader shelves. A glossary, discussion questions, and a kid-friendly recipe for yogurt parfaits close this strong start to the Katie Woo series.--Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-In Best Season Ever, Katie, Pedro, and JoJo debate the merits of the seasons, comparing blooming tulips and puddles to sledding and hot chocolate. They share differences of opinion and learn to accept each others' views. Katie decides, "All of the seasons are fun when I'm with you." In Kitchen, Katie decides to help prepare dinner when her mom visits a sick neighbor and her dad is busy working on his car, with humorous and messy results. Katie's activities will provide opportunities for readers to discuss manners and safety issues within the context of common activities. These books have three short chapters with a large font, plenty of brightly colored picture cues, a suggested activity, discussion questions, and writing prompts. Early readers will enjoy Katie's antics.-Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI (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.
