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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | EASY PAS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Oakdale Library | EASY PAS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | EASY PAS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | EASY PAS | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In this lovely valentine of a book, Julie Paschkis offers young readers a glimpse of the extraordinary world that can be hidden in the simplest of things. Alfonso loves his colorful, magical existence. He also loves the brilliant, beautiful Ida. But Ida, nose in a book, just doesn't seem to notice. Can he win her heart with a cake of his own creation if the salt is gathered from the deep blue ocean, the butter from the summer sun, and flour like snowflakes from a night sky? An exquisitely illustrated story about imagination for children, but also a wonderful gift for lovestruck adults. (A treasured family recipe for apple cake included!)
Author Notes
Julie Paschkishas illustrated many award-winning books, including Yellow Elephant by Julie Larios, Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal by Paul Fleischman, and Night Garden by Janet S. Wong. She lives in Seattle, Washington. Visit her at www.juliepaschkis.com
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Her nose constantly in a book, Alfonso's beloved Ida is blind to all his attempts to woo her. He lavishes brilliant bouquets of flowers on her and serenades her, but "Ida never looked up." So he goes to great lengths to bake her an apple cake: squeezing butter from the sun, obtaining sugar from the clouds, plucking an egg from a nest atop a tall tree, even sailing the ocean for some salt. At last, the smell of Alfonso's cake prompts her to look up, smile, and eat it with him. Paschkis's small gouache and ink folk figures appear on large expanses of white space, and her familiar patterns are adorned with butterflies, flowers, and domed minarets. Although the text is minimal, the illustrations reveal that this suitor does nothing by half measures. "First he took three apples" shows Alfonso seeking the fruit from a tree at the very top of a mountain. In a page turn, readers see him slicing apples with a sword. "He sifted in a cup of flour" accompanies an image of Alfonso on top of a minaret collecting flour from the evening sky. This story is a celebration of the imagination and should spark discussions about solving problems creatively.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Paschkis's whimsical love story tells of lovelorn Alfonso, a beak-nosed man in a top hat and coattails, who cannot get bookworm Ida to pay attention to him. "So he decided to bake her a cake." The recipe may sound ordinary enough, but Paschkis's delicate gouache-and-ink paintings demonstrate that Alfonso's efforts are entirely extraordinary. When the text announces that "he beat two tablespoons of butter with a cup of sugar," Paschkis shows Alfonso hanging from a beam of butter-yellow sun, while butter drips from another triangular ray, and scooping sugar from a pale, puffy cloud. He finds an egg high atop a fanciful tree, ladles "a tiny bit of salt" from the sea, and stirs in three wishes: "one bitter and two sweet." Painting on white backdrops, Paschkis (Mooshka, a Quilt Story) offers a lovely, pared-down aesthetic, compared to her heavily patterned earlier books, which emphasizes the loose, sweeping quality of her painting. The result is a story that exudes a pervasive sense of magic and underscores how far one gladly will go in the name of love. Ages 4-8. Agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Alphonse lures Ida away from her book by making a cake for her. "Beautiful, kind, brilliant Ida / always had her nose in a book." So begins this lighthearted and airy tribute to the powers of love and persistence. Alphonse tries to be interesting, but he is unable to get Ida's attention. He presents her with bouquets and butterflies and serenades her with guitar music, but still her eyes never leave the pages. He makes a cake, which turns into quite a production indeed. Paschkis takes a marvelous detour from her familiar style here. The pages are open, filled with white space and almost translucent gouache colors. Readers see Alphonse going to the ends of the earth for the ingredients: riding a horse up a mountain for apples, harvesting butter from the sun and sugar from clouds, climbing a tree to grab an egg from a nest, spooning salt from the sea and catching flour and baking powder from the sky. If all this weren't enough to prove his love, Alphonse dives into the bowl himself to stir the cake! The smell of the cake baking eventually gets Ida's attention, releasing a flood of butterflies and sunshine onto the final pages. Sweethearts of any age will celebrate the joy of love and shared simple pleasures. (Picture book. 4 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When the typical romantic gestures of flowers and music fail to capture bookish Ida's attention, her resourceful suitor, Alfonso, takes a different approach her appetite. He mixes up a one-of-a-kind apple confection, collecting butter from the sun, sugar from the clouds, and salt from the sea. After adding in a sprinkle of wishes one bitter and two sweet for just the right balance, Alfonso then throws himself, literally, into mixing the batter and baking his wondrous cake. Its delicious aroma coaxes Ida to finally put down her book and take notice of not just the delectable dessert in front of her but its baker, too. Author-illustrator Paschkis makes a departure from her distinct, jewel-toned style here, presenting the simple story in minimal text and airy, delicate folk art-like tableaux set against generous white space. The fine detail in the fantastical gouache-and-ink scenes demands close-up viewing and possibly a post-storytime treat.--McKulski, Kristen Copyright 2010 Booklist
