Adelaide Holl (1910–2002)

This book was printed the same year I was born, and I grew up looking at the pictures over and over before I could even read. So even if the stories are weird, the nostalgia rush of seeing the upside-down acrobat or the stick-thin singing cowboy just fills me with warm fuzzies.

Little Peewee, a tiny Dalmatian dog, is the star attraction of a circus, until he has a growth spurt and becomes "the same size as any other plain dog that you would see anywhere." Despite being beloved by everyone in show more the circus, he must now leave for being so ordinary, because that's what circus folk do? Thankfully, another growth spurt saves the day.

Sylvester, on the other hand, is a victim of suburban sprawl. He learns to appreciate the music of nature in his peaceful little meadow, but soon it is engulfed by new construction and he takes refuge in a music shop guitar display. He learns to plink out the sounds of the meadow on the guitar, and when the tune is overheard the guitar is assumed to be haunted and unsellable until a brave singing cowboy shows up who apparently has no patience for guitar lessons and would rather the guitar just play on its own.

My daughter enjoyed this when I read it to her back when she was three. My wife, not so much this week . . . show less

There's very little to appreciate here but for the wonderful illustration, but I'm sure that's my obnoxious adult affect talking. It might be fun to read this to a little one making all of the animal noises scripted.

Sorry. I guess it was quite the thing, a while ago, to teach children to be content with their lot. I admire Marco for striving to sing, to fly, to 'dip and dive., I have to be honest and say that Holl can write, but I disagree with the concept of this book and I see nothing special in Morrison's pictures. Also, though elephants may not be able to 'dip and dive,' they can swim. And I am particularly peeved by bad science in children's books.

Cute concept & plot, nice pictures, and lovely poetic language. I think it would have been great as a Little Golden Book, but maybe it will reach a wider audience as a big picture book.