The House at the End of Ladybug Lane

January 16, 2012
Angelina’s parents are neat freaks—their last name is Neatolini, and they think nothing of vacuuming their lawn or polishing the flowers—but the neatness gene seems to have skipped a generation. As much as they try to keep their daughter immaculate, “five minutes later, Angelina was always wrinkly and rumpled and covered in crumbs.” Needless to say, a pet is out of the question, until Angelina joins forces with a hard-of-hearing fairy godmother–like ladybug, who conjures up a pest (instead of a pet) with amazing baking skills that beguile the senior Neatolinis. Primavera’s (the Louise the Big Cheese series) storytelling is often woolly and wandering, and there’s the sense of a narrative being stretched too far, complete with several jokes about misheard wishes (the ladybug hears “spider” when Angelina says “viper”). But the book is worth sticking with, if only to enjoy Docampo’s (Tip-Tap Pop) extravagantly imagined, almost hallucinogenically hued gouache vignettes, which bring to mind Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory minus the edge. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: MB Artists.

January 15, 2012
Angelina wants a pet, any pet, but to her neat-freak parents, an animal in the house would be intolerable. Angelina's family has a long history of excessive neatness, but she seems to attract messes. Mother and Father Neatolini are not amused by Angelina's apparent absence of neat genes. When Angelina wishes on a star, a rather ditzy, hearing-impaired, magical ladybug tries to help. Unfortunately, she conjures up a pest instead of a pet. It comes equipped with kitchen utensils and magical ingredients and proceeds to cook up a storm of delightful confections, while making an enormous mess. Continuing to mishear, the ladybug adds carpenter bees, a pink widow spider and doodlebugs, all of which wildly decorate the house. The Neatolinis are appalled by the mess, but upon tasting the cakes and cookies, these obsessively neat people suddenly see the beauty in the new decorations and Angelina is allowed to keep her pet pest. Primavera employs vivid, descriptive language in a highly imaginative tale. But themes of neatness versus chaos, need for acceptance, desire for a pet and parent-child relationships all vie for readers' attention, and the melange all culminates in an abrupt, contrived denouement. Docampo's bright gouache illustrations, filled with appealingly stylized, exaggerated detail in large scale spreads, greatly enhance the text. Pleasant and amusing, but not quite a hit. (Picture book. 4-8)

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February 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 2-A whimsically illustrated book about being the family misfit. Unkempt Angelina Neatolini doesn't fit in with her obsessively tidy parents. She also yearns for a pet, which would disrupt the family's pristine new house on Ladybug Lane. Mr. and Mrs. Neatolini are hilarious parodies of uptight parents as they scrub the flowers and vacuum the lawn. Soon to arrive is a hard-of-hearing ladybug who evokes Mary Poppins as she flies in with a tiny mushroom-shaped umbrella and produces delightfully chaotic results. Misunderstanding Angelina, the ladybug grants her a pest instead of a pet, and then a series of insects (including a pink widow spider instead of a non-biting viper) that transform the prim and starchy house into a cozy home. The quirky tone of the narrative (among the pets Angelina requests are "a nice little minnow, a sparrow, or perhaps some sardines") is sure to elicit giggles. As more insects show up, the spreads become so crowded that objects practically spill off the page. Though the antics are appropriately zany, the softness of the gouache paintings gives the story a reassuring quality. The pest-a short, furry, whiskered creature sporting a chef's hat and tentacles-is a particularly winsome character that serves as Angelina's constant companion. Humanizing flourishes on the bugs abound, such as a pink Kewpie doll hairdo and tall boots on the spider. Primavera deftly weaves in a message about finding one's place that will resonate with readers without detracting from the fun.-Mahnaz Dar, formerly at Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2012
Grades K-2 From a long line of neatniks pictured in portraits on the endpapers (an ancestor invented the garbage can, Dad vacuums the grass, Mom irons the linguini), wrinkly, rumpled Angelina Neatolini does not fit the mold. Although her parents won't heed her desire for a pet (too messy), one night a hard-of-hearing, wish-granting ladybug mishears the girl's pleas and gives her a host of pestsnot pets. A little monster bakes up delicacies, a pink spider weaves lacy curtains, and a dozen doodlebugs cover the walls, all of which, of course, raise the parents' ire come early morning. It turns out the delectable snacks are laced with magic that changes the parents' minds, and they now love both their dazzling house and their still-not-neat daughter. Primavera's flight of fancy, packed with delicious language, and Docampo's imaginatively rendered gouache illustrations, filled with bold colors and movement, will tickle young readers' funny bones.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)