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Summary
Summary
To Drool, it feels like her mom and dad have been gone an awfully long time. So long that she can hardly taste the fried ice cream Grandma made for dinner, or enjoy hide-and-seek with Kip, Grandma?s pet chicken. Not even playing dress up, having a whole snuggly hugging hour with Grandma, or getting to put the sprinkles on the triple-decker cupcakes can put a smile on Drool?s face. ?I?m an orphan,? she tells Kip.
A child?s fi rst sleepover at Grandma?s is given a hilarious and tender treatment in this candy-colored book by talented newcomer Aileen Leijten.
Author Notes
Aileen Leijten lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Poor Drool (formally known as Drew) has been orphaned-which is her dramatic way of saying that she's having her first sleepover at Grandma's. Of course, her situation is hardly Dickensian: Grandma, who has a wedding-cake beehive that would give Marge Simpson a run for her hairdressing money, is an ace chef and knitter, and she doesn't mind a bit when Drool throws marzipan cake at the ceiling or decorates the breakfast table with double-caramel-sauce polka dots ("just like my dress"). Drool also has the constant, adoring companionship of Kip, the vividly imagined, overalls-wearing "house chicken." Her separation anxiety never entirely dissipates, but by the time Drool's parents arrive for pick-up, she's already planning the next visit. In her authorial debut, Leijten's storytelling could use some pruning-the book feels about four pages too long-but the watercolor and pencil pictures evince a firm hand on the glee throttle (despite the sappy title), and readers should find themselves caught up in the characters' loopy worldview and comic earnestness. Ages 3-5. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
A little girl misses her parents during her first sleepover. Grandma uses a variety of tricks to distract her: hour-long hugs, fried ice cream and Belgian waffles, and dress-up play with Kip the house chicken. Brightly patterned watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations and the pleasantly meandering text provide a comforting way to address a common childhood anxiety. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A winning intimacy infuses this tale of a small child who is dropped off for an overnight with Grandma. After waiting seemingly forever for her parents' return, young Drew (or "Drool," as she prefers to call herself) sadly concludes that she's an orphan. Both Grandma and Kip, the house chicken, ignore her pleas for sympathyKip finally disappearing after being subjected to a game of dress-up, and Grandma cheerily offering in succession hugs, Belgian waffles, triple-decker cupcakes and a story at bedtime. Leijten depicts the domestic setting in soft, subtly modulated colors and outfits her figures (even, briefly, Kip) in full-bodied polka-dotprint house dresses. Grandma sports an extravagant triple bun atop her outsized oval head, plus spit curls that find visual echoes in Drool's delicate auburn fuzz. The effect is entirely cozy, and when Drool's parents do at last arrive to sweep her away, hardly is she in the car before she's asking to come back. Readers and prereaders alike will be left smiling. (Picture book. 5-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Little Drew, who would rather be called Drool, misses her parents. Sleeping away from Mom and Dad for the first time at Grandma's house, she worries aloud to Grandma's pet chicken, Kip: Maybe they don't want me anymore . . . I'm an orphan! Still, for Drool, there is comfort and fun with Grandma, starting with Grandma's special Hugging Hour, then dinner of waffles and marzipan cake, and a bedtime story. The next day brings games of dress-up and hide-and-seek with Kip, baking cupcakes with Grandma, and a happy surprise at the door: her parents. On the way home, Drool asks to visit Grandma's again. Spirited Drool's commentary and feelings ring true, and bespectacled Grandma is portrayed as appealingly playful, indulgent, creative, and loving. The cheerful, patterend artwork blends whimsical, comical details an impossibly tall pancake stack; Grandma's swirled, multi-tiered bun with familiar activities and household settings. Kids will enjoy Grandma and Drool's shared fun and affection, while appreciating Drool's worries. An entertaining and reassuring read.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2009 Booklist
