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Summary
Summary
Birthday parties are supposed to be fun. And this party is really, really fun . . . for everyone but Bernice, that is. She doesn't even get a frosting rose on her piece of cake.
Just how far will Bernice go to turn this day around?
'Sumptuously illustrated, Extraordinary Jane . . . burst s with color and magnificence.' The Wall Street Journal
'Harrison's acrylic paintings . . . are the star of the show, but her understated storytelling and pacing are equally on the mark.' Publishers Weekly, starred review
'A touching, delectably illustrated circus story that applauds the underdog.' Kirkus Reviews, starred review
'In a world full of competition for kids to be the fastest, smartest, and best at everything, this story's message is a worthy one,' School Library Journal, starred review
Author Notes
Hannah Harrison is an award-winning painter, specializing in animals. She lives with her family in Ada, Oklahoma.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-The story line of Harrison's latest picture book doesn't break any new ground-a group of cute anthropomorphized animals attend a birthday party, one of whom feels like the odd cat out-but it's her skillful illustrations, candy-colored palette, and understated humor that elevate this tale of a bad mood turned around. The scene opens on an overcast day in the park as a group of furry partygoers gathers. In the foreground is Bernice, an unhappy tabby whose darling pink romper and Peter Pan-collared shirt belie her defiantly crossed arms and angry scowl. The other guests each receive a frosting rose on their piece of cake-poor Bernice only gets a plain white square. Everyone else gets ice-cold strawberry-melon soda-Bernice gets warm prune-grapefruit. Harrison depicts the happy-go-lucky guests enjoying the festivities on the verso, while sourpuss Bernice is juxtaposed on the recto, isolated on an all-white background, her feelings clearly evident in her petulant expression. The frustrated feline finally decides she's had enough and absconds with a bunch of balloons, unintentionally floating up, up, and away. It's when she encounters a brooding black rain cloud-having a bad day himself-that she discovers a bit of empathy within and is able to put her own problems in perspective, cheering up a "very blue bluebird" and a "surly gray squirrel" as her own mood reverses. The text is kept to a minimum, with carefully chosen words that lend the narrative a dry humor. Young readers who've experienced moments of jealousy and frustration can't help but feel a bit of kinship with Bernice. Harrison includes clever details, like the "Do Not Perturb" and "Home is Where the Nuts Are" signs that adorn the entrance to the squirrel's home. Her acrylic on Bristol board illustrations artfully play with perspective, light, and texture, making Harrison an illustrator to watch. VERDICT Though the rainbow-hued ending comes a bit too easily, young listeners will be satisfied when all the animal friends rejoice at Bernice's change of heart.-Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
It isn't the end of the world when you have a bad time at a birthday party-it just feels that way. The indignities suffered by a kitten named Bernice include getting the only piece of cake without an icing rose ("All she'd gotten was a plain white square from the middle") and coming away from the piñata with "one lousy gumdrop... that someone had stepped on." So when balloons are handed out, Bernice grabs the whole lot and floats away-discovering, as she ascends, that she is not the only one having a bad day (a mother bluebird gazes sadly at the photos of offspring who have left the nest) and that she has control over her little corner of the world, after all. Harrison obviously knows how the dynamics of a birthday party can loom large in a child's life. As she did in Extraordinary Jane, she again cleverly juxtaposes an accomplished classical painting style with a contemporary sensibility, and her emotionally astute and elegantly understated story will strike a chord with any social animal. Ages 3-5. Agent: Abigail Samoun, Red Fox Literary. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Big-eyed cat Bernice--grumpy at getting the short end of the stick for every party activity--grabs all the helium balloons in frustration and floats away. Her problems seem smaller when viewed from a raincloud, and Bernice dispenses balloons and cheer on her float back to earth. Illustrations veer toward twee, but the contrast between candy-colored balloons and drab cloud makes for a couple striking scenes. Didactic but winningly earnest. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A series of minor disappointments leads Bernice to make a greedy grab at a friend's birthday party which in turn spurs an unexpected change of heart. Harrison's acrylic paintings, a mix of double-page spreads, single pages, and occasional vignettes, depict a group of anthropomorphic animals celebrating in a forest setting. Old-fashioned outfits and activities contrast pleasingly with characters that are simultaneously cartoony and realistic in appearance and visually developed with touches of sly humor. Bernice's increasing frustration shows in both her face and body language as she gets a plain piece of cake (no frosting rose), has to settle for warm prune-grapefruit soda, and misses out on the candy from a prematurely punctured piata. In her determination to pluck some pleasure from the day she snatches the whole bunch of balloons and suddenly floats up into the sky. The change of scene allows her to quickly, if not entirely believably, recognize how petty her problems are. Sharing the balloons enables her to land safely while improving the moods of assorted quirky characters including a glum rain cloud, a crotchety squirrel, and a sad mother bluebird. While the final twist is a bit heavy-handed, overall, the emotional honesty, simple, understated text, and entertaining visual humor combine to create an appealing take on a problem that occasionally plagues us all, whether child, adult, or grumpy cat. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The cover of Harrison's second picture book features a true sourpuss, a cat named Bernice who has apparently thrown her party hat to the ground. Who could resist the urge to discover what has so displeased Bernice? And can she get out of this terrible mood? It's a cloudy day in the woods as the book opens with a party scene. Each page turn delivers Bernice a new disappointment prune-grapefruit soda, for instance, when everyone else gets ice-cold strawberry-melon flavor. Harrison's concise text and lively illustrations soon head to higher altitudes as Bernice grabs all of the buoyant balloons for herself. Pulled up in the air, she meets an unhappy squirrel and bird before getting stuck to a brooding black rain cloud that itself has a very sad expression. The grays of the sky contrast nicely with the brightly colored balloons, but in a move reminiscent of Marcus Pfister's The Rainbow Fish (1992) once Bernice starts giving out her balloons, blue skies and better moods break out all over the place.--Nolan, Abby Copyright 2015 Booklist