Willow’s Whispers

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JAN 25, 2010

Willow speaks so softly that everyone either ignores her (the class mean girl), patronizes her (her teacher), or thinks she s aloof ( She must like sitting alone, says a schoolmate who can t hear Willow accept his invitation to join him at the lunch table). But with a nudge from an understanding father ( Your big, strong voice got stuck way inside you.... But one day your voice will wiggle its way out ), Willow creates a magic microphone from a cardboard tube and gains the confidence to speak up. Seinfeld got a lot of memorable narrative mileage out of a character who was a soft talker, but such is not the case with this story from debuting author Button and Howells (Berkeley s Barn Owl Dance). In their diligence to make sure every spread stays on message, the team lets the story sag into didacticism. Howells s digital, minimalist line drawings feel more instructional than emotional, and the book comes off feeling like a pamphlet proffered by a well-meaning adult. Ages 3 7.