From Organization / 国外机构评价: |
| Gr 2-4–Betsy, the trustworthy shepherd introduced in Betsy Who Cried Wolf (HarperCollins, 2002), and Zimmo, the wolf who reinvented himself after demonstrating his predilection for herding sheep instead of eating them, are together again. It is Betsy's birthday, and she is allowed to go to her grandmother's house by herself to deliver cupcakes. She decides to take the sheep, and Zimmo begs to come along. Betsy concedes, but her instincts warn her that wolves and grandmas don't mix. When Zimmo runs ahead, suspicions surge, and she lets her fears get the best of her. The journey becomes an uphill climb in the mud for Betsy with her herd slipping and sliding, but ends in a sweet surprise. Nash's illustrations, steeped in comic tradition but heavily crosshatched, exhibit realism reminiscent of David Macaulay's work. The sheep sport backpacks and model an assortment of fashion accessories–hats, boots, even guitars. The wry humor of the herd, who crack jokes and banter in speech bubbles alongside the narrative, will appeal to children and lends comic relief to the story of a difficult journey. Sheep act like birds (and people), wolves act like people (and grandmas), and there's even a joke that Betsy's birthday wish is to become a sheep someday, implying a free-to-be-you-an-me vision of identity and parodying the heavily analyzed wolf-dressed-as-grandmother motif of the original tale.Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City |
Foreign Customer Review / 国外客户评价: |
| I haven't read "Betsy Who Cried Wolf", so I guess I'll just accept that that book established how a wolf got to be a trusted shepherd. Still seems rather baffling that he wouldn't then be trusted around grandmas too. I mean, I know a wolf once ate a grandma, but many wolves have eaten many sheep, so if this wolf can be trusted around sheep, it seems he would be trusted around grandmas.
That's just one example of the lack of internal logic in this story. I realize it's "only" a children's story, so perhaps I shouldn't overanalyze it, but children are capable of understanding logic too and they deserve stories that make sense. This one doesn't seem to fit that bill.
Betsy's mother has decided that Betsy is now old enough to go to Grandma's house on her own. Why she's been trusted to be a shepherd but not go to Grandma's house is a little baffling. As a shepherd, she is naturally concerned what to do with the sheep. "Take them with you," her mother suggests. Why wouldn't she just leave them with the other shepherd - the one who isn't trusted around grandmas? But Zimmo is Betsy's best friend (supposedly), so she brings him along too and hopes for the best.
So we suspend a great deal of disbelief and set out for Grandma's house with this unlikely troop. Things go reasonably well for a time. The sheep - fittingly outfitted in hiking boots - banter among themselves. They meet a farmer and a hunter who are rather skeptical of a wolf visiting Grandma, but Betsy reassures them.
But then things take a turn for the worse. Zimmo sprints on ahead to Grandma's, leaving Betsy (and us) to wonder if it's true what they say about wolves and grandmas. Bad weather hits and the sheep refuse to move. One sheep gets lost. Then Betsy has to haul each sheep individually up Slipenfall Hill. But nonetheless, Betsy must persevere and save Grandma!
After this terrifying and exhausting ordeal, Betsy finally arrives at Grandma's house to find...a birthday party. Betsy's mother, Zimmo and his mother and the farmer are all already there. Now, call me a softy, but I certainly wouldn't put my daughter through that kind of an ordeal just to spring a surprise birthday party on her. And I'd think twice about remaining best friends with someone who would leave me in such a lurch for the same reason. And why didn't the farmer just take Betsy and the sheep in his truck? With friends like these.... All-in-all, a very unconvincing story.
I read this with my four-year-old daughter and she seemed to share my reaction. She looked confused/skeptical throughout most of the book. The humor, which is mildly amusing for adults, went right over her head (except for the one time when the sheep says, "Some books go on forever." - she laughed at that). We checked this out at the library and I won't be sorry to return it. She hasn't asked for it again. |
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