A bit like Toy Story, a bit like the original (not Disneyfied) Winnie-the-Poo. ?áMagical in the sense that it's a fairy-tale, and magical in how it tugs at the heart of a reader who remembers her childhood. ?áThe style of the poetic language and the 'voices' of the different characters are key, and so I'd recommend this as a read-aloud. ?áPerhaps best at bed-time, in the dark, a chapter a night before dream time....

Btw, Amy and Clarissa, imaginative leader and sidekick, are also the main (human) characters in Estes' The Witch Family. ?áBoth stories are related and enjoyable to the same audience, I think - but they are independent. ?áNot only that, but I see The Alley and The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode as being part of the same 'universe' because Connie, in the first, remembers her best friend Clarissa from Washington D.C. ?áOtoh, it's a throwaway reference, and the Amy & Clarissa books have magic, whereas the Connie & Hugsy books (which are also independent from one another) are realistic.*

Clarissa said, ...hearing is almost as good as seeing."
"Believing is best of all, said Amy.

I have to say, though, I can't stand the pictures. ?áCheap line art that neither illustrates nor enhances the story.

*I'm pretty sure. ?áI've not read Hugsy's story yet, so I might have to amend this later." ( )

Ex-lib. Romeo District Library ( )