Larky Mavis

Rating:
Summary: Lovely, Whimsical Story.....
Review: "Down the road came Larky Mavis, mooning about, mooning about." She's a kind-hearted, simple minded, ragtag of a woman with a mop of red hair. She trips over three peanuts, eats two, and when she opens the third, finds what she's convinced, is a baby inside. She names it Heart's Delight because it makes her glad and carefully feeds and nutures it, carrying her baby with her in a basket, wherever she goes. Soon, Heart's Delight has grown so large that Larky Mavis wraps it up in an old tablecloth and carries it on her back. The townspeople, at first show contempt and disdain for Mavis and Heart's Delight, calling her baby, when they get a peek, a mouse, a deformed bird or maybe a bat and as it grows, a turkey in molt, a calf and a half or even a dragon and try to take Heart's Delight away from her. But Mavis is its mother and protects it with all her might. As the townspeople descend, a voice is heard from the wrapped bundle we've never seen, "Let Go My Ma!" and Heart's Delight finally appears to save the day..... Brock Cole has authored a clever and appealing modern day fairy tale with a simple message about tolerance, that won't be lost on young readers. The gentle and engaging text is complemented by his evocative and detailed watercolor artwork in subdued tones and youngsters will be entranced as they watch and wait for a hidden Heart's Delight to finally appear. Perfect for children 4-8, Larky Mavis is a masterpiece, sure to become a classic, and a wonderful addition to all home bookshelves.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing
Review: I purchased the book for a young cousin and after reading it decided it wasn't appropriate. The book was disturbing with references to Larky Mavis's "baby" as a deformed bird and other descriptives that I found odd. While the descriptions of Larky's find are surprising, the characters in the book were very traditional (mostly men as professionals like the doctor and others Larky runs into). It seemed like a book for a young girl, but the role models were all men. The ending of the story is anti-climatic and doesn't provide much closure (the winged creature simply lifts Larky up into the sky). I was very disappointed with the purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Odd fairy tale
Review: Mavis finds 3 peanuts in the road and eats 2 of them. The last one looks a little like it might be alive, so Mavis doesn't eat it. Instead, she calls it her baby. But the townsfolk don't believe that it is a baby. They call it a worm, a mouse, and a bat and give Mavis a really hard time. Eventually, the little thing grows up to take Mavis away from the cruel townsfolk. Altogether, the book has about 900 words.