Hello, Shoes!

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Clearly speaking to a child's everyday experience, Blos (Bedtime!) and debut illustrator Boyajian follow a boy and his grandfather on a search for the boy's favorite shoes, a pair of red buckled sandals. As they comb through the house, they come across all kinds of interesting things: in the boy's room, for example, "they found four locomotives, three freight-carrying flat cars, two crisscross warning signals and one caboose with a bell. But no sandal shoes." (Other locations provide similar, understated lessons in colors and prepositions.) When the boy finally finds his shoes, he is so excited that he determines to buckle them all by himself for the first time--a milestone that the grandfather commemorates with a song and a dance. This sweet slip of a story should strike a chord with very small children, who will understand the seriousness of the boy's quest and appreciate the grandfather's respect for it. Boyajian's straightforward pastel renderings use a variety of formats--full-page spreads, vignettes, spot art--to capture a warm and familiar domestic world, where the relationship between grandpa and grandson is as comfortable as an old pair of shoes. Ages 18 mos.-3 yrs. (May) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

PreS-K-This story reflects everyday moments and accomplishments in the life of a child as well as a sense of joy and togetherness. A boy can't find his red sandals with buckles on the sides. He and his grandpa search everywhere, finding many interesting objects, but no shoes. Finally, they sit down in rocking chairs to think about where else to look but the boy has trouble rocking because his sandals are underneath. He puts them on and even figures out how to buckle them for the first time, and Grandpa sings a song to celebrate. The simply rendered pastel illustrations are reminiscent of the artwork of Leo Politi in his Song of the Swallows (Scribner, 1987) and Marc Simont in James Thurber's Many Moons (Harcourt, 1990). Different types of footgear playfully adorn the endpapers. Children will enjoy listening to this tale as they help name and point out items throughout the search. Combine this story with Mem Fox's Shoes from Grandpa (Orchard, 1992), Elizabeth Winthop's Shoes (HarperCollins, 1986), and Ann Morris's Shoes, Shoes, Shoes (Lothrop, 1995) for a perfect fit at storytime.-Susan M. Moore, Louisville Free Public Library, KY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.