Lawn to Lawn

December 21, 2009
Four ticky-tacky decorations—a flamingo, a gnome, a lawn jockey, and a deer with half an ear—ponder their future when their owners move away. They miss Pearl, the girl who “knew that they were real,” and they face other threats: “ 'If we stay here,' said Betty, 'the new owners may store us in the garage—or, worse...' 'The curb!
' they all said.” Mindful of being mistaken for garbage, they leave the downscale cottage in search of Pearl's new gated community, Ritzy Estates. Yaccarino (The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau
) gives the ornaments salt-of-the-earth names—Flo, Betty, Norm, and Jack—and places them in droll situations, which often appear in side panels, lending the tale a storyboard quality. During their journey, the four pose as water features in a fountain, walk along stacked like the Bremen Town Musicians, and get directions from Paul Bunyan. Other gnomes, RV-park flamingos, and racetrack jockeys also temporarily distract them, but they persevere. In sinuous contemporary art, Yaccarino humorously considers the secret lives of inanimate objects and lampoons the vagaries of taste: “Some people didn't love lawn ornaments the way Pearl did.” Ages 5–9.

February 1, 2010
PreS-Gr 2-When Pearl's family moves, they forget to pack their lawn ornaments. Betty (a deer), Flo (a flamingo), Norm (a gnome), and Jack (a jockey) have a special fondness for the little girl and set off to find her. They face many perils, especially since "Only Pearl knew that they were real.] Some people didn't love lawn ornaments the way Pearl did." Sequential cartoon illustrations that resemble animation stills chart the foursome's madcap trip as they pop up from manhole covers in the city, climb snow-covered mountains, and trek across swamps and fields. They finally arrive at Ritzy Estates, only to be rudely refused entry by "snooty" marble lions. Dejected, they sit on the curb and are then tossed into the back of a "dreaded trash truck." As it turns out, their nemesis drives them right through the gates and into the arms of Pearl. The art is done in a flat, retro style and is filled with amusing and clever details. The characters have an offbeat charm, and their longing for a lost friend rings true."Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2009
Grades K-3 In a plot that hearkens back to Toy Story, seemingly inanimate objects left behind during a move go out into the world and find their grateful owner. The four objects here are lawn ornaments: a flamingo, jockey, troll, and deer. Pearl, the little girl whose lawn they have been ornamenting, has a tea party with them at the start of the book but then somehow leaves without them. On their journey to Pearls new home, the ornaments focus on avoiding trash trucks and end up meeting lots of other statuary. Other lawn gnomes and flamingos are very friendly, but a gang of creepy gargoyles follows Pearls friends until a brave moose statue comes alive and chases the gargoyles away. Yaccarinos clean, bright illustrations have an appealing retro look, and the trek through suburbs, swamps, fields, and city is a visual treat. The books ending is fairly predictable (a childlawn ornament reunion), but the last twist (the ornaments get through the gated communitys gates via a trash truck) is a keeper.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)