That's Not a Daffodil!

December 1, 2011
You can't judge a flower by its bulb. Mr. Yilmaz from next door visits young Tom with a gift in a rumpled paper bag: a little bulb. He says it's a daffodil, but Tom insists that it's an onion. "Well, let's plant it and see," Mr. Yilmaz says. They set to work, planting the bulb in a terracotta pot. Then they use a watering can to "make it rain." Nothing happens for a long time, though Tom watches the pot faithfully. Then one day there's a little green beak sticking up. The beak opens up and eventually turns into, according to Tom, a hand with five green fingers. Mr. Yilmaz visits from time to time, bringing different fruits and vegetables on each visit. One finger develops a bud; when Mr. Yilmaz mentions the daffodil, Tom calls it a wet rocket. Finally in the spring, the bud blooms, and, of course, it's not an onion. Tom runs to get Mr. Yilmaz to see their beautiful daffodil, which Tom calls "a trumpet of gold." Honey tucks a lot of learning into her simple tale. Her soft-focus illustrations capture the warmth of the relationship at its center. Blue-eyed Tom is watchful and intent, and Mr. Yilmaz, with his salt-and-pepper moustache, cuts a jaunty figure in a plaid cap and red vest. Sure to bring a smile, if not an actual daffodil. (Picture book. 3-6)

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Starred review from March 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 1-Tom's neighbor gives him a bulb and tells him it is a daffodil, but Tom thinks it looks more like an onion than a flower. Mr. Yilmaz teaches the boy how to plant it and care for it, and each time they meet, he asks, "How's the daffodil?" Tom always has an imaginative answer-it's a green beak, a hand with five flat fingers, a street light, etc. Finally, it really looks like a daffodil, and the boy's excitement is contagious as he grabs Mr. Yilmaz by the hand and takes him to what now looks like "a trumpet of gold!" The artwork, done in muted colors, is simple and soft and shows the child's imagination as he watches each stage of the bulb's growth. The relationship between the exuberant boy and his encouraging neighbor is a delight as they care for the plant. When a dog knocks over the pot, one of Mr. Yilmaz's grandchildren yells, "Call the plant ambulance!" A charming story, beautifully illustrated.-Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH

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