Kate Feiffer

The young girl-narrator of this amusing picture-book freely admits that her mother has many nice qualities, and does many nice things, but she maintains nevertheless that her mom is ruining her life. Listing the five ways this ruination is occurring, the girl imagines how she might escape, and how her mother might end up in jail for her "crimes." The same process is chronicled with her father, who is also ruining her life. But then the girl begins to imagine what life would be like without show more those pesky parents, and she soon comes to the inevitable conclusion: she loves them, and is happy to have them around...

A sweet, ultimately heartwarming little tale about an imaginative young girl and her parents, My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life taps into two common enough childhood experiences: finding parents embarrassing, and chaffing at the restrictions they impose. The amusing, over-the-top scenarios the little girl imagines in the story will keep young listeners entertained, while the accompanying watercolor artwork by Diane Goode, who also illustrated Kate Feiffer's President Pennybaker, accentuates the humor of the text. I enjoyed this one quite a bit, more than I thought I would, picking it up. Something about the cover led me to expect another spoiled little girl story (something akin to Louise the Big Cheese, or Eloise), but our narrator here is just an ordinary girl with a good heart. Recommended to anyone looking for fun picture-books about the parent-child bond, and the ways that children simultaneously rely upon and sometimes wish to escape their mothers and fathers. show less

An Australian Shepherd named Henry laments his lack of a tail in this sweet picture-book from author/illustrator team Kate and Jules Feiffer, comparing himself to his many canine friends, and wishing he had something to wag himself. His somewhat unconventional attempts to gain a tail prove less-than-successful, however, and eventually he concludes that he is just fine the way he is...

I enjoyed the punning and wordplay in Henry, the Dog With No Tail, as our lovable canine hero visits the show more tailor - every dog's first thought, when looking for a tail! - and a wagon-maker (to make his newly created tail wag, of course) in his effort to fit in with his friends, and find what he feels he is lacking. I also appreciated the message of the story, that we should accept ourselves for who we are, and understand that we don't have to be exactly like those around us to have worth. The artwork is humorous and appealing, as one would expect from Jules Feiffer, who illustrated one of my all-time favorite books, The Phantom Tollbooth. Recommended to young dog lovers, and to anyone looking for children's stories about difference and self-acceptance. show less

After a trying experience with his father, in which he isn't allowed to watch television, even after completing all the tasks required of him, Luke Pennybaker come to conclusion, as have many before him, that life is unfair. Deciding that he will make it fair, he runs for President of the USA, with his dog Lily as his Vice Presidential candidate. As he explains to a reporter, he is not a member of either the Democratic or Republican Party, but he is a member of the birthday party. But when show more Luke and Lily win by a landslide, our hero discovers that being the President isn't everything it's cracked up to be...

I had mixed feelings about President Pennybaker, which features a story by Kate Feiffer and watercolor artwork by Diane Goode, an author/illustrator team who also collaborated on the amusing My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life. On the one hand, I can see that the premise is meant to be humorous, and taps into that universal childhood feeling that limitations are unfair, and adults sometimes unreasonable and inconsistent. The artwork, as is usually the case with Diane Goode, is delightfully charming. On the other hand, there is a general pettiness to the instances of unfairness that Luke decries, and a smallness to what he promises the people of the country. I imagine some will think it's cute, and appropriate for children, but I couldn't help but think, as I read through, that children are often disproportionately affected by real unfairness, and there isn't (sadly) anything unchild-like for many young people, in worrying about such things as poverty or abuse. I did like that Luke realizes that what he really wants after all is to be a normal kid again, but all in all, this one didn't really hit the mark for me, and I prefer such titles as Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin's Duck for President or Ben Clanton's Vote for Me, when it comes to picture-books about elections. show less

'Henry the Dog with No Tail' is a pretty self-explanatory book, though it's message is still important and even a bit difficult for some people to grasp at times. Just because someone looks different then you think someone should look, doesn't make them less of a person- or in this case, dog. Due to some negative attention his lack of a tail has gotten, Henry has learned to dislike not having a tail as well and goes on a great big adventure just to try to find one. In the end, his new 'tail' show more nearly puts him in serious danger, as most real life self alterations tend to do. Even the bully can clearly see the danger and changes their attitude, saying Henry doesn't need a tail anyway. show less