Review by Booklist Review
Joosse's teatime story delights and entertains but most notably surprises its readers after sisters Sadie and Flora encounter an unexpected guest during a quiet afternoon all to themselves. After Mama and Papa leave for the market, the sisters (along with beloved Blue, Flora's crowned stuffed-animal friend) set up their tea party adorned with wisteria, colorful ribbons, and, best of all, cake and tea with sugar. The sisters are content until a hungry "fisherman" arrives unbidden. Courteous but wary of their guest's pointy fin, the sisters share their table until their guest suddenly takes a chomp at Sadie. Small but brave and nimble, Flora throws Blue's crown into his mouth and sings a siren song to enchant him. Together, they tie up the shark and throw it out to sea in a hilarious conclusion to the story. Ruzzier's signature ink-and-watercolor illustrations happily leap and skip about Joosse's wonderfully imaginative narrative, which together evoke themes of courage, humor, and sisterly love. Perfect for developing readers seeking a story that effortlessly blends words with watercolor.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When Mama and Papa head out on an afternoon errand, they leave their daughters alone for the very first time on the island where the family lives. Thrilled with their autonomy, bow-wearing cat Sadie and scarved rodent Flora throw themselves a "sister tea." Delicately hued pen, ink, and watercolor vignettes by Ruzzier (Bianca and the Butterfly) capture the giddy feel of independence as well as the party's impressive trappings--the girls festoon a wisteria-hung branch and feast on a pink cake decorated with roses. Suddenly, a stranger appears, sporting a yellow rain slicker and claiming to be, in the sly words of Joosse (Roawr!) "a weary fish... erman." Readers will instantly recognize a shark--and not a baby one, either. The sisters' revelation arrives a bit more slowly, but spotting the guest's double row of teeth plunges them into action. Once they tie him up and toss him back to sea, there's only question left teasingly unanswered: will they tell their returning parents? It's a shark-in-sheep's-clothing story that celebrates childhood courage and resourcefulness as well as siblings' sacred bond. Ages 3--7. (May)
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Review by Horn Book Review
On their tiny, isolated island, Sadie and Flora celebrate their first solo afternoon with a tea party as their parents sail off to the market. The sisters decorate the garden with flowers and "ribbons the color of the sky and little lights that shone like pearls." Tea is poured, and a pretty little cake with roses is served. Then a shark, disguised in a fisherman's yellow slicker, arrives and makes himself comfortable. The sisters smell something fishy and remain guarded as the shark spins tales of life at sea. When he wolfs down three slices of cake, then opens wide to finish the rest, the double row of sharky teeth reveals the truth. "It's time to go. GOODBYE!" yells Sadie, but the shark lunges and chomps at her, trashing the decorations in the process. Brave little Flora (with some help from her stuffed animal, Blue) saves Sadie, and together the sisters hurl the shark back into the sea. Shortly thereafter, they warmly welcome Mama and Papa home. Textured watercolors, featuring Ruzzier's style of offbeat creatures and landscapes, illuminate the action, with a dramatic sky in the background. The story flirts with dangerous scenarios but doesn't dwell on any lessons, instead focusing on the strength of sibling bonds and teamwork. Pam YoscaJuly/August 2025 p.76 (c) Copyright 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
When their parents leave them on an island for the day, sisters Sadie and Flora must protect each other against an unexpected visitor. From the first pages, this small world draws readers in, moving from the broad view of the small house on a tiny island to close-ups of a charming animal family: Sadie is a cat, Flora is a rodent, Mama is a cat, and Papa appears to be a dog. With the day ahead of them, the siblings prepare a special teatime with Flora's Blue, a stuffed bear who's "bald and squeezed quite flat and only fancy on the inside." When a shark, cleverly disguised in a yellow slicker and hat, shows up, then threatens their celebration, the sisters fight back, managing to dispatch the danger before their parents return. As they share "a secret smile," the book leaves unresolved the question of whether they'll tell the story of their day or not, an ambiguity that might garner mixed feelings from readers. Ruzzier's soft watercolor washes are punctuated by friendly pen-and-ink drawings, while Joosse's text features poetic language, as in the opening line: "One seagull afternoon…two sisters waved goodbye goodbye." Gentle but fierce--an empowering tale of sibling adventures and care.(Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
