While Mama Had a Quick Little Chat (edition 2005)

While Rose's mother has a "quick chat" on the telephone, Rose is supposed to get ready for bed but finds she is hosting a party instead. ( )

It’s just before bedtime when the telephone rings. Mama picks up the phone and tells Rose to get ready for bed by the time she finishes her “quick chat” with Uncle Fred. Rose is about to get started when the door bell rings and in rush men to set up a party. She tries to get Mama, who says that she’s busy. She tries to shoo them out, but they just won’t go. The guests arrive next, followed by waiters, a wizard, and a band. Rose tries to get rid of each one, but instead she gets carried off to help out. Rose is playing a wild rhythm on the drums, when Mama calls that she’s about to hang up. Rose rushes the party out the door and runs upstairs, where Mama finds her fast asleep in bed.

The text is full of action and dialogue and each new event is followed by the phrase, “It’s hard to believe, but Rose did ALL that, before Mama had finished her quick little chat.” The illustrations use a sophisticated palate straight out of the 1920’s, embellished with curlicues, balloons, and circles of dancing light. Rose herself is a delight, in a white night gown, argyle socks, and pom-pommed slippers.

Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-71-while-mama-had-quick-little....

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-Mama answers the phone, telling Rose to "get ready for bed,/while I have a quick little chat with Uncle Fred." However, before the redheaded girl can do so, the doorbell rings and four "muscley" men appear bearing a load of party supplies. Rose calls to her mother, but Mama isn't through talking, so the youngster lets them in. Each time the doorbell rings-as guests, waiters serving hors d'oeuvres, and a magician arrive-she tries to get her mother's attention but is put off. When the band arrives, Rose is ready to jump into the action: she fills in for the absent drummer, playing a "boogie-down beat" that steals the show. Finally, Mama warns that she is about to hang up. Rose tells her visitors that they must go, and they quickly depart, taking the mess with them. None the wiser, Mama finds her daughter fast asleep in bed, and whispers, "Good girl, Rose." The rhyming text never misses a beat. The watercolor illustrations feature slightly stylized characters: Rose and her mother have skinny legs and pointy feet, fuller-looking torsos, and hair that flies away at unexpected angles. A busy, colorful spread showing the party in full swing emphasizes the moment when Rose decides to join the fun. Children will appreciate the humor of this slightly over-the-top take on a familiar situation.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ( )