Edwin Speaks Up

April 25, 2011
Baby Edwin speaks up a lot, but nobody understands him. "Figbutton noo noo POCKY BOOKY froppin ROOF," he says to his mother who has left her purse on top of the car. "Gloody pooper do no LEAVEY," he shouts as his mother takes off with the wrong grocery cart, leaving him behind. There's a lot of frenetic action in this story about the ferret family's trip to the grocery storeâthe misbehaving antics of Edwin's four whiny brothers and sisters generate some truly anxiety-inducing scenes. Mrs. Finnemore, however, is June Cleaver serene throughout, even as her children knock over canned goods, wrestle in the store aisles, and quarrel over everythingâwhile Edwin obviously knows exactly what's going on. Blackall's (Pecan Pie Baby) stylish illustrations feature 1950s slick cars and ballooning dresses, but what will make Stevens's (Waking Up Wendell) text a read-aloud favorite is Edwin's babblingâa humorous blend of nonsensical toddler talk and new words. Mrs. Finnemore says, "Soon he'll be talking. Can you even imagine that?" but readers will know that Edwin has been all along. Ages 4â8.

May 1, 2011

Edwin's mother is the epitome of 1950s femininity—smartly dressed, elegantly coiffed and preoccupied with adult concerns throughout this entertaining supermarket romp.

Oblivious to the rambunctious antics of Finney, Fergus, Franny and Fiona, when Mrs. Finnemore finally loads her ferret family into her sleek, powder-blue Chrysler (with anachronistic seatbelts and a car seat), she also misses the meaning of Baby Edwin's earnest babble. Therein lies the satisfaction for those who do attend to his speech bubbles. Had his mother been concentrating, she, too, would have realized that "Gloo poop SHOE noogie froo KEY" meant the car keys were in her son's shoe or that "Gimpin chalk lil wiz um SWEETIN' do a bye bye," combined with Edwin's endearingly outstretched arms, signaled that the sugar she was purchasing for his birthday cake was disappearing in someone else's cart. Blackall's highly patterned watercolor, gouache and ink scenes, infused with pink and turquoise, contrast with the white balloons surrounding his words—a choice that focuses attention. Stevens' inclusion of potty words in the phrases will add to young listeners' surprise and delight. They will cheer Edwin on as he patiently takes matters into his own hands, occasionally glancing winsomely at his audience, even as his mother wonders when he will begin talking.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from July 1, 2011

K-Gr 3-Mrs. Finnemore and her five ferret children set out for the supermarket. "We absolutely mustn't forget the sugar for Edwin's birthday cake tomorrow," she cautions as the siblings jockey for position in the car. They all ignore Baby Edwin, who babbles, "Figbutton noo noo POCKY BOOKY froppin ROOF." Yes, mom takes off only to learn upon arrival at the supermarket that her pocketbook is on the car roof. After this near disaster, she navigates down the aisles tossing groceries into her cart, oblivious to the chaos her children are causing, and Edwin's continuous commentary. She ignores his warning that she's inadvertently walked off with Mrs. Lutzheimer's cart, leaving him and her own groceries behind. And there's that sugar she keeps forgetting: "SWEETIN' do a bye bye," forcing Edwin to take matters into his own hands. The ink and watercolor cartoon illustrations greatly enrich the text, depicting the siblings' high jinx, Edwin covering his face in consternation at his mother's cluelessness, and his final crawl down the aisle to get his own sugar. His gibberish phrases contain just enough real words for youngsters to decipher what he is saying. And they will love the final scene in which Mrs. Finnemore drives away with the sugar on the car roof. "Roofum SWEET," Edwin says, as mom looks over and comments that baby Edwin is growing up so fast. "Soon he'll be talking." Don't miss this hilarious shopping trip.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 15, 2011
Preschool-G *Starred Review* The Finnemores are ferrets, and Edwin, the baby of the family, is a babbler. Gloop poop SHOE noggie froo KEY, he comments, as Mom and the four older children try to organize themselves for a trip to the grocery store. One complication after another ensues: purses get left on the car roof, shopping carts are switched, and no one can seem to remember to pick up the sugar for Edwins birthday cake. What sharp readers will pick up on, and what makes this so much fun, is that Edwins gibberish is a Rosetta stone able to prevent all misstepsif only someone would realize that Gimpen chalk lil wizz um SWEETIN means Dont forget the darn sugar! Stevens spot-on story about every mothers nightmare, the group grocery-store trip, is matched by Blackalls delicious art. One of the best picture-book artists working today, Blackall offers winsome art that is interesting in its use of perspective, perceptive in its depiction of family dynamics, and just plain adorable in its effort to make ferrets fetching. (Not always an easy task.) Parents and children will agree, this is a book thats clever in every sense of the word: skillful, original, and witty.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)