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Summary
Summary
Birthday parties always make people happy, and after losing his beloved old cat, Alfie's neighbor, Mr. MacNally, really does need cheering up. Alfie thinks a party might be just the thing, and there's an extra special surprise in store for Mr. MacNally. Full color.
Author Notes
Author and illustrator Shirley Hughes was born near Liverpool, U. K. on July 16, 1927. She studied drawing and costume design at Liverpool School of Art and the Ruskin School of Drawing in Oxford. At first, she was an illustrator of other author's works, but in 1960 she published Lucy and Tom's Day, which was the first book she wrote and illustrated. Since then, she has written over 50 books and has illustrated 200 children's books. In 2015, she wrote a young adult novel entitled, Hero on a Bicycle. She won the Kate Greenaway Medal for Dogger in 1977, the Eleanor Farjeon Award for distinguished services to children's literature in 1984, and the OBE for services to children's literature in 1998. Hughes was given two Honorary Degrees, one from the University of Liverpool in 2004, and the other from the University of Chester in 2012. In 2017, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Shirley Hughes died at her home in London on February 25, 2022. She was 94.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2When Bob MacNally's cat dies, he is so sad that he doesn't even want to celebrate his 52nd birthday. His daughter, Maureen, and their irrepressible preschool neighbor Alfie decide to cheer Bob up by throwing a surprise party. The day before the event, Maureen gets her father a kitten. In order to keep her present a surprise, Alfie hides it overnight in his bedroom but finds it tough to sleep while the curious animal explores and plays. This is an endearing story about friendship. The death aspect is understated and does not overwhelm the story or Alfie himself. The illustrations are muted with clear lines set against soft backgrounds and feature Hughes's familiar cherublike characters. Purchase where the other books about Alfie are popular.Christy Norris Blanchette, Valley Cottage Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Mr. MacNally (now called Bob in this latest, more contemporary Alfie book) is sad at the loss of his cat, and Alfie's family and the MacNallys rally to provide solace with a surprise party for Bob's birthday. In the deceptively simple story, the theme stresses compassion and concern for others; the soft palette and skillfully limned figures capture the essence of these emotions without undue sentimentality. From HORN BOOK Fall 1998, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Alfie (The Big Alfie Out of Doors Storybook, 1992, etc.) is back, and this time he wants to cheer up his neighbor, Bob MacNally, whose old gray cat, Smoky, has died. Bob's birthday is coming up, but his daughter Maureen says he's so down he doesn't want any presents, not even cards. It's Alfie's idea to make a surprise party for him. A flurry of shopping and cake-baking ensues, but the best surprise is Maureen's present--a kitten. She entrusts it to Alfie's care for the night before the party, and he is proud to play such an important role. This warm-hearted slice of real life is as good as any of the Alfie books; it is from the boy's perspective that readers see that Smoky was not a very satisfactory cat, making ``bad-tempered noises'' whenever Alfie picked him up. Alfie comprehends, however, how much Bob misses the cat, and finds the finality of Smoky's death sad. Hughes's trademark illustrations capture, as always, the homey details of family life in a neighborhood where the kindness of others plays a large part in everyday events. (Picture book. 3-8)
Booklist Review
Ages 2^-5. Alfie reaches from his own home to the neighbors across the street in the latest touching story about the sturdy English toddler and the mundane and momentous events of his day. When the neighbors' old cat, Smoky, dies, everyone is sad ("Why does Smoky have to be dead?" Alfie wants to know). They bury Smoky, and they all cry. Alfie helps his young teenage neighbor, Maureen MacNally, make a handsome memorial. Then they all begin to feel better--all, that is, except Maureen's dad, Bob MacNally. Alfie suggests they give Bob a surprise birthday party to cheer him up. Tension builds as they shop for presents and bake the cake in secret; and best of all, Maureen asks Alfie to hide her gift of a kitten. Preschoolers will appreciate the honest talk about the death of a pet, and they will love the story of the secret and the surprise. Hughes' line-and-watercolor pictures express the toddler's earnest body language--shoulders back, arms stiff, tummy out--and the tenderness between different ages across generations and across the street. When Alfie shows his little sister, Annie Rose, how to play with the new kitten, how not to squeeze it too hard, Alfie is passing on the love he has learned. --Hazel Rochman