Bravo, Maurice!

Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0316105457, Hardcover)

When Maurice Duncan Marcela is born, everyone in his family is eager to see what he will become. Secretly, they each believe and hope he will follow in their own footsteps. Papa sees Maurice as a baker, like him. Mama notes his watchful eyes and is convinced her son will be a writer, like her. Uncle Eddie is sure Maurice, with his tapping toes, will join him as a taxi driver. As the baby grows older, each of his relatives takes him into their worlds outside the apartment. And sure enough, he does love the smells and textures of the bakery, the activity of his mother's office, and the swirling streets from the window of his uncle's taxi. But the best feeling of all, every time, is listening to the sounds of the city. And one day, while Maurice is taking a bath, all those sounds take shape in a song that rises from his throat in a rich, clear voice that overflows into the kitchen where his family stops what they're doing and listens. And finally they know: Maurice has something all his own, too.

Rebecca Bond crafts a lovely, gentle story about the joys and surprises of finding out who you are. Maurice and his family, in the "hot, bustling city" with its many fantastic details, will reach out to readers, inviting a lingering visit and offering plenty to think about. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter