Daisy's Perfect Word

February 15, 2012
Daisy, a collector of admirable words, wants to find the perfect word to give her teacher as a gift. An early-grade primary-school student, Daisy has lots of favorite words she collects in her notebook. After the children find out their gentle teacher is getting married, they all want to bring her gifts. Daisy's pleasure in her search, though, is complicated by Samantha, her next-door neighbor and classmate she finds annoying. An otherwise congenial child, Daisy does whatever she can to avoid Samantha--including cutting through shrubbery to meet her friend Emma and pulling up her hood and singing as she hurries by Samantha's house. All of this carefully planned avoidance of Samantha seems to be leading up to Daisy's recognition of her own subtle bullying and perhaps her selection of a perfect word like "friend" that represents this understanding. Instead, her frequently depicted problems with Samantha are never directly addressed. The perfect word Daisy finally chooses, "giggle," does elicit a pleasing compliment from Samantha that may hint at an improvement in their relationship. Simple, charming illustrations appear on almost every spread; pages feature wide spacing and limited text, an inviting presentation for very young independent readers. An early chapter book with a pleasantly recognizable cast of characters that, disappointingly, misses the opportunity to gently address a pertinent issue. (Fiction. 5-7)

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April 1, 2012

Gr 1-3-Daisy loves words. She collects them like squirrels collect nuts, ever eager to store her selections in her green notebook with purple polka dots. She has "Wow Words," "Quiet-Time Words," "Sweetest Words," and a whole multitude of other terms that she has collected, recorded, and savored. One day, Daisy's favorite teacher announces that she's getting married. After much agonizing, the child decides that a perfect word would be an ideal gift. As the protagonist struggles with a difficult peer relationship and takes readers through her day-to-day life, there's enough tension to keep youngsters engaged. Daisy's irrepressible but realistic enthusiasm for life is charming and irresistible. Her story is a perfect next step for children who have outgrown Jane O'Connor's "Fancy Nancy" books (HarperCollins) but aren't quite ready for Andrew Clements's Frindle (S & S, 1996).-Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

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