Bravo!

August 8, 2011
This spare, delicately drawn offering from a German duo follows Helena, who lives with the rest of her cat family in a cottage where things are “almost perfect.” Everything, that is, except for Helena’s father, who’s a shouter: “Everything he said came out in a roar.” Port draws him with his mouth agape, his words scrawled in black ink: “Who left these shoes on the floor? My egg is too runny!” Despite her mother’s tactful explanation (“They’ve been shouters for generations. When you’re older, you can be one too, if you like”), Helena decides she can’t bear the racket; she packs her things and asks the woman up the hill if she can move in. “My father’s a shouter,” Helena explains. “I see,” says the neighbor, who takes her in without another word. As the title hints, Helena’s decisive act allows her to find her own voice and to mend her relationship with her father, too. Helena’s dilemma is one that might more commonly be found in books for older readers, making this gentle, measured treatment a noteworthy achievement. Ages 4–up.

October 1, 2011

PreS-Gr 2-Helena, a trumpet-playing kitten who lives with her mother, father, and little brother, has almost a perfect life, except for one thing. Her father is a shouter who comes from a long line of shouters. She dislikes his yelling so much that she leaves home to find another person with whom to live. In the midst of her parents' search for her, Helena's father promises never to shout again. Finally, they see a poster for a concert featuring their daughter. She triumphantly performs and is happy to hear her father's shout of "Bravo!" A reunion is glimpsed at story's end. The muted, full-color art is delicate and sketchy. The illustrations feature plenty of white space and large vistas that focus the action on the family. Children will respond to Helena, a self-contained child who finds her own quiet way to respond to the noise around her.-Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.