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Summary
Summary
"I'm going to spend the night at Rosa's house," said Daisy. But nobody heard her.Being a middle child isn't easyNobody ever listens to Daisy. Her father was chopping carrots. Her mother was talking on the phone. Her big sister was chasing her little brother around and around the kitchen table. So it was no surprise that no one heard where Daisy went, even though she told them. With humorous text and striking, bold illustrations, this book captures the frustration of a middle child trying to be heard over the noise of a well-meaning family.
Author Notes
Author Elizabeth Winthrop grew up in Washington, D. C., and has written over 50 works of fiction for all ages. She has won numerous awards including the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the Pen Syndicated Fiction Award, the California Young Readers Medal and the Jane Addams Peace Prize Honor Book. Many of her children's books are based on her childhood memories and the experiences of her children and other children she has talked to. Her book Belinda's Hurricane is based on the time she lived through a hurricane with her grandmother on an island off the coast of Connecticut. I Think He Likes Me is based on her daughter's reaction to her younger brother when he was brought home from the hospital. Her most popular books are The Castle in the Attic and The Battle for the Castle.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The emotional vividness and ultra-contemporary vibe of Cummings's (Angel Baby) mixed-media paintings make this an especially sympathetic treatment of middle-child angst. Daisy not only feels "squashed right in the middle of her noisy family," but also unheard. As Winthrop (Dumpy La Rue) eloquently puts it, her parents and siblings "talked to Daisy, they talked about Daisy and they talked right over Daisy's head. But when Daisy talked, nobody ever listened." When the family tries to put the kibosh on Daisy's first sleepover at a friend's house (" `She'll come home in the middle of the night,' said her sister in her big-know-it-all voice"), Daisy goes anyway-then stands her ground when everyone shows up at her friend's door. The family wisely heeds the lesson in this incident, and each gives Daisy his or her full attention the next morning when she regales them with stories of snacking and staying up late. Cummings frequently brings readers nose to nose with the action or makes it seem as if her richly rendered characters are bumping up against the edges of the page; she thus underscores the oppressiveness Daisy experiences within her family while also conveying the tightness of the bond she shares with Rosa, her supportive sleepover pal. Although the plot resolution may be familiar, it still feels piquant, and may well strike a chord with many readers-regardless of their birth order. Ages 5-9. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Preschool, Primary) Daisy's big, noisy family loves her, and they all have lots to say about her. ""'Daisy's very shy,' her mother told the butcher."" ""'Daisy doesn't like apple pie,' her father told the waitress."" Whenever Daisy tries to speak for herself, no one seems to listen. But despite what her older sister says ""in her big-know-it-all voice,"" Daisy knows she's ready for a sleepover at her friend Rosa's house, so Daisy and Rosa make some plans that finally get everyone's attention. Cummings's bold, comical illustrations of the bustling African-American family match the warm, breezy tone of Winthrop's text. While the family's affection for Daisy is never in doubt, the author makes sure that Daisy's real frustrations as the middle child are heard loud and clear at last. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
K-Gr. 3. Beginning with the up-close, downcast face on the jacket, this direct picture book personalizes the frustration of a middle child wanting to be heard. Daisy's parents and her older sister and younger brother talk to and about Daisy, and they talk over her head. But when Daisy speaks, nobody listens. When Daisy's friend invites her to sleep over, everyone has a comment: Daisy has never slept over at someone's house before ; She won't go anywhere without her stuffed duck. Nobody pays attention when Daisy declares that she's going anyway, and then leaves. Her courage surprises her family into finally understanding how she feels. Cummings' recognizable robust style and intense palette are evident in the engaging design here, a bright amalgamation of bold full-page close-ups that clearly reflect Daisy's feelings; small, square insets; and vigorous, varied double-page spreads--particularly the sweeping picture from which the cover illustration was drawn. All include homey and whimsical details that give Daisy and her African American family a thoroughly modern, familiar look: big sis is glued to her headphones; Dad chops carrots for dinner. Many kids, no matter their family pecking order, will respond to Daisy's predicament; everyone likes to be heard! --Julie Cummins Copyright 2005 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Middle children will easily identify with Daisy, who has a know-it-all older sister and a pesky younger brother. Everyone in her African-American family speaks for her. When she tries to speak for herself, no one listens. The breaking point comes when her friend invites her to a sleepover. Mother says that Daisy has never slept at someone's house, and her sister insists she will come home in the middle of the night. Daisy announces that she is going to Rosa's anyway, but no one hears. When the family finally goes in search of her, they discover a Daisy they never knew. The text is brief, extended by the details and facial expressions in the mixed-media, double-page illustrations. In the first spread, Cummings offers an arresting close-up of Daisy, her face split down the middle by the book's gutter, hair flying across both pages, hands up to her head in a gesture of hopelessness. Her family cavorts on either side. The contrast between that picture, on a blue background, and the last one, when "for the first time, everybody listened [to Daisy]," is marvelous. Here she is depicted on a yellow ground, is once again in the middle, her hands are again up, but her expression is one of delight. Pair this engaging read-aloud with Brigitte Weninger's Davy in the Middle (North-South, 2004).-Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
An ignored middle child takes matters into her own hands and teaches her family how to listen in this humorous domestic drama. Daisy has a dilemma: Her mother, father, older sister and younger brother are so busy talking "to" Daisy, "about" Daisy, or "over" Daisy's head that no one pays attention to what she says. Daisy is definitely "squashed in the middle" of her very noisy family. She tries to tell everyone she is going to sleep overnight with her new friend Rosa, but no one hears her. So Daisy packs her nightgown, toothbrush and stuffed duck and leaves. When her family arrives en masse at Rosa's house to retrieve her, Daisy finally finds her voice and gets the attention she deserves. Bright, sassy illustrations in a mixed media of watercolor, gouache, colored pencil and pastels successfully showcase Daisy's frustration, irritation and eventual triumph. Sure to hit the mark with the middle child in everyone. (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
