School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-When Daisy plays at being a spy, and speaks in a special code language, no one understands her and she remains miserably alone. But her mother, who is a good sport, disguises herself as a mysterious stranger and joins in the game. Quirky cartoon illustrations are just right for this offbeat story. Daisy sports oversized sunglasses and a mustache, and arms herself with "secret spy gadgets"-a hair dryer becomes a "baddie zapper," and a brush turns into a telephone. The warm relationship between the six-and-a-half-year-old and her mother, who not only understands but also participates in her daughter's make-believe play, gives this title an edge over other picture books about imagination. It should find a welcome readership.-Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In Daisy's latest escapade she decides to become a spy, complete with drawn-on mustache disguise. She speaks in secret code (""The ostriches will be swimming in tomato sauce this evening"") and ends up feeling lonely because no one understands her--until 0035 and a Half (a.k.a. Mom) saves the day. The geometric art couldn't be more kid-pleasing or the book's resolution more reassuring. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
In this new book about young Daisy, she is disguised with sunglasses and marker mustache, prepared with her secret baddie zapper (Mom's hairdryer), and ready to play spy--but the newly self-named 006 and a Half is soon frustrated when neither neighbor nor friend understands her secret spy language. Surely any spy knows the ostriches will be swimming in tomato sauce this evening means she wants ketchup-covered chicken nuggets for dinner. Returning home discouraged, Daisy encounters a mysterious, purple-mustached-and-bearded spy 0035 and a Half. It's Mom, who can share both coded language and cozy times. The droll, descriptive narrative conveys Daisy's playtime challenges, joys, and an affectionate mother-daughter relationship; colorful, cartoonish, simply rendered art is expressive, humorously contrasting what Daisy says and means in her secret language with the literal meanings others hear and visualize. Readers, kids and adults, will appreciate how Gray shows that family support and shared activities are rewarding on many levels. --Shelle Rosenfeld Copyright 2007 Booklist
