Doreen Cronin is the author of many bestselling and New
York Times bestselling picture books, including Click,
Clack, Quack to School!; Click, Clack, Surprise!; Click,
Clack, Ho, Ho, Ho; Click, Clack, Peep; Click, Clack,
Boo!; Dooby Dooby Moo; Thump, Quack, Moo: A Whacky
Adventure; Bounce; Wiggle; Duck for
President; Giggle, Giggle, Quack; Bloom; and the
Caldecott Honor Book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type as
well as The Chicken Squad series and Cyclone. She lives in
Brooklyn, New York. Visit her at DoreenCronin.com.
David Small is the Caldecott Award–winning illustrator of So You
Want to Be President? by Judith St. George. He also received
Caldecott Honors for The Gardener by Sarah Stewart and One Cool
Friend by Toni Buzzeo. He’s illustrated dozens of other
award-winning books, including That Book Woman by Heather Henson
and The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, and lives in Michigan with his
wife, Sarah Stewart.
Cronin and Smallcombine talents in this fable for modern times:
people who live in fragilekingdoms may need to get their hands
dirty rebuilding. Bloom the mud fairylives in a glass kingdom where
she turns weeds into blossoms and sand intoglass; she also leaves
mud and cracks in the glass in her wake. As the kingdomgrows and
gleams, folks protest Bloom's mess. She takes to the forest,
butwithout her, the kingdom deteriorates. When the royals seek
Bloom's magic tosave them, they are outraged when the dirty
creature places a bucket of mud attheir feet. So they send tiny,
ordinary Genevieve to talk to Bloom. AlthoughGenevieve has
heretofore preserved her delicate hands for the frivolous task
ofwashing the queen's sugar spoon, with Bloom's coaching she digs
her hands intothe mud to make...bricks! The text is set in
different typefaces and fonts tohelp the narrative along, while
Small uses watercolor washes in cool blues andwarm greens and
browns to indicate changing tones. Genevieve takes hernew-learned
"magic" back to the kingdom to rebuild, and the residentsrejoice.
All the characters, from royals to fairy, are white. The tale
isenchanting but somewhat opaque, so metaphorical that children may
needsignificant help from adults to understand it. If youngsters
scratch theirheads, take them to the yard or community garden to
plant and make mud pies.
*November 1, 2015*
This smart, subversive fairy tale is set in a kingdom whose palace
is made entirely of glass and whose inhabitants scorn dirt and
untidiness. The kingdom was once home to a red-haired fairy named
Bloom, whose magic could “spin sand into glass, turn weeds into
blossoms, and grow a trickle of rainwater into a racing river.” But
Bloom’s heavy steps and muddy footprints drew complaints, and she
retired, exasperated, to the forest. Now, the king’s beautiful
glass castle leaks, and everything else is “held together by tape,
glue, and peasants.” Small’s (Glamourpuss) witty ink-and-wash
drawings follow the king and queen as they enter the forest to
search for the powerful fairy, but they refuse to believe that
Bloom and the bucket of mud she proffers is the creature they seek.
They dispatch their sweet servant girl Genevieve to locate her
instead. Bloom questions Genevieve closely: “Why would the king and
queen send a delicate child... to do something they could not?” she
asks. “Because I am ordinary,” Genevieve confesses. Outraged that
any girl would value herself so lightly, Bloom immediately begins
Genevieve’s training in “magic”—up to their elbows in mud, the two
make bricks and build a house. When Genevieve returns to the
kingdom armed with new knowledge and spattered with mud, she
thunders, “I am here!” Cronin (the Click, Clack, Moo books) juggles
thematic elements with grace, mixing fairy-tale parody with maker
tale and girl-power story to celebrate mess, chaos, and big plans.
When seen up close, Cronin suggests, fairy-tale “magic” might
really be no more than the willingness to get one’s hands
dirty.
*October 26, 2015*
When the glass castle starts shattering to pieces, the king knows
just who to ask—Bloom, a helpful but messy fairy he once banished
for leaving too many muddy tracks behind. When he finds Bloom in
the woods, he asks for her magic, but all she shows him is a bucket
of mud. Aghast, he decides to send an ordinary servant, Genevieve,
to deal with her instead. At first, delicate Genevieve, too, is
dismayed by Bloom’s love of mud. But soon, Bloom shows her its
magic—it’s perfect for making bricks—and before long, they’re up to
their elbows in it. Covered in dirt and grime, Genevieve returns to
the glass castle with a solution that, though not dainty or tidy,
is exactly what the king needs. Small’s swirly ink-and-watercolor
illustrations in soft pastel colors are full of comic details, and
whenever Bloom is around, appropriately muddy splatters cover the
page. In a charmingly old-fashioned tone that’s ideal for reading
aloud, this ode to messiness reminds little ones that sometimes
ordinary things are perfectly magical.
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Both Cronin and Small are award winners, and
their team-up for this title should double its appeal.
— Sarah Hunter
*December 1, 2015*
K-Gr 3–Though her outward appearance is chock-full of dirt,the
fairy Bloom is delightfully talented. Underappreciated and
misunderstood,she retreats into the wilderness. Without Bloom’s
magical touch, her kingdomfalls into disarray, “held together by
duct tape, glue, and peasants.” Thoughthe king and then the queen
search for answers to fix their kingdom (“I amlooking for a magical
creature, gone so many years ago”), they are too haughtyto
understand the sprite’s message when she places mud at their feet.
Aseemingly ordinary girl named Genevieve, whose only job in the
kingdom is tocarry the queen’s delicate, unbreakable spoon, is next
sent in their stead.Though initially puzzled by Bloom’s mannerisms,
Genevieve learns from the fairyand develops the skills she needs to
rebuild her kingdom Bloom’s inspiringoutlook (“Tell them there is
no such thing as an ordinary girl”) paves the wayfor Genevieve to
return home. Humor is laced throughout the charming
narrative,highlighted through Genevieve’s dramatic growth and the
expressive ink andwatercolor illustrations. Wavy, thin lines
accentuate the ebb and flow ofBloom’s magical world. Changing
typography emphasizes key ideas and naturalpauses within the story
line. VERDICT This engaging, empoweringtale proves the future of
happily ever after is in one own’s hands, regardlessof how much
dirt they may have on them.
*January 1, 2016*
This fairy tale for the modern era blooms with joy and delight.
Bloom is a helpful but unusual fairy who lives in a glass kingdom.
Misunderstood and under appreciated because she is muddy and noisy
and sloppy, she leaves the kingdom for the forest. When the king is
unable to convince her to return, it is up to the very ordinary
maid Genevieve to visit Bloom and ultimately save the kingdom. The
rich, descriptive vocabulary and clever dialogue enhance the story.
The layout of the type and the lovely watercolor illustrations fill
each page with magic.This book is a wonderful read-aloud that is
fun and action-packed. It ends happily ever after, with a very
positive message for children—that even the most ordinary among us
can do extraordinary things.
Recommended
*May 1, 2016*
Theglass fairy kingdom where Bloom lives is beautiful, but its
residents are dis-missive of her messy, muddy approach to magic, so
Bloom takes her untidy ways(and her magic) elsewhere. After Bloom
leaves, though, things fall apart—quiteliterally—until the kingdom
is “held together by duct tape, glue, andpeasants.” The king and
queen seek out Bloom for help, only to be perplexed andinsulted
when she presents them with a bucket of mud. They then send
meekGenevieve, a maid and “ordinary girl,” to do the job. The girl
soon catches onto Bloom’s proposed solution—using the mud to make
bricks with which to rebuildthe kingdom—and, after some
instruction, practice, and reassurance by Bloom,the not-so-ordinary
Genevieve returns to fix the kingdom: “She knocked on thepalace
door and shat- tered it to pieces ‘I am here!’ she shouted.” This
is anenjoyable original fairy tale, and young listeners will relish
the youngheroine’s triumph over her royal elders. Genevieve’s
literal shattering of theglass ceiling (okay, a door) tips slightly
toward didacticism, but it’s ametaphor worth discussing, and while
the ending is abrupt, it is also joyful.Small’s detailed ink and
watercolor art balances the tidy restraint of thekingdom with the
casual sprawl of the sprightly Bloom and the natural world.The
evolving appearance of the auburn-haired Genevieve (she grows
muddier andless demure in proportion to her increasing skill and
confidence) alsoeffectively reflects her growing empowerment. Enjoy
this as it stands or use itas a complement to Munsch’s The Paper
Bag Princess.
*April 2016*
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