Product Description

Stories of two inventive sisters at play, and at odds, ZELDA AND IVY is packed with sugar and sass — a first-rate original!

"A gentle, humorous look at sibling dynamics. . . .Doozy up your shelves with Zelda and Ivy." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)

Zelda and Ivy are fox sisters with a flair for the dramatic.Their exploits unfold with plenty of sugar and sass in this spirited trio of stories. Wry and genuine, the linked episodes and expressive illustrations will strike home with beginning readers, especially those who’ve experienced the warmth — and occasional wrath — of a sibling’s attentions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2170177 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-01
• Released on: 2002-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 48 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this insightful look at sisterhood, two young foxes take different approaches to playing. The mildly traitorous Zelda takes advantage of Ivy, her gullible younger sibling. Ivy, on the other hand, indulges her sister and wears a look of quiet dismay when things go wrong. In the first of three chapters, Ivy pretends to be a trapeze artist, and ringmaster Zelda tests her with increasingly difficult tricks. Next, when Zelda suggests a make-over, Ivy is her trusting victim: "Zelda cut scallops into Ivy's fluffy tail.... 'Shall I scallop your tail?' asked Ivy. 'Wait until I'm done,' said Zelda." Yet, as Ivy well knows, her big sister has a big heart. At the conclusion, Ivy's wish for a silver baton "just like yours" prompts Zelda to anonymously (and somewhat reluctantly) donate her own prize toy. Kvasnosky (Mr. Chips) shows that age has its advantages (Zelda owns the baton and gets the top bunk) as well as its responsibilities (Zelda gives Ivy the baton because of her remorse). Gouache images pair waxy black outlines with warm, crayony colors. Kvasnosky's clean draftsmanship of the foxes, with their arrow-shaped faces, black-dot eyes and tiny fox toys, recalls Kevin Henkes's mice, and the true-to-life childhood situations recall Henkes as well. Rare for a book about siblings, its sympathies reach out to readers regardless of their birth order. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2AChildren everywhere will recognize and relate to these three stories that take a gentle, humorous look at sibling dynamics. Ivy is a guileless young fox and Zelda is her bossy big sister. In "Circus Act," Zelda assumes the role of master of ceremonies ("I'm the oldest") and spurs Ivy on to attempt ever-more daring feats on a swing until she takes a spill. In "The Latest Style," Zelda thinks up a variety of ways for the two of them to "doozy up " their tails "like movie stars" using Ivy as a model. In the final vignette, Ivy desperately wants a baton just like her sister's and Zelda tells her to put fairy dust under her pillow and wish for one. The wish comes true, or seems to, when Zelda places her own baton under Ivy's pillow. The energetic gouache-resist artwork features bright colors, homey scenes, and priceless expressions achieved with a minimum of line. Doozy up your shelves with Zelda and Ivy.ALuann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 4^-7. Zelda and Ivy are young fox sisters; Zelda, the older, is the boss, and Ivy is the bossee. Each of the three vignettes shows Zelda working some big-sister hocus-pocus on little Ivy. In the first chapter, Zelda and Ivy are playing circus, and Zelda says she will choose and announce the tricks. At Zelda's urging, "fabulous Ivy on the Flying Trapeze" tries to balance herself on her tail--and fails with a thump. In the second chapter, Zelda convinces Ivy that all the hippest foxes are painting blue stripes on their tails. In the last tale, after Zelda tells Ivy that magic dust under her pillow will allow her a wish, Ivy asks the universe for a baton--just like the one Zelda has. A chastened Zelda makes Ivy's wish come true, but she soon figures out a way to get the upper hand once more. Marvelously true to life and tinged with sly wit, the stories will be viewed knowingly by both big and little sisters, who'll see themselves here. Kvasnosky not only has a way with words; her illustrations are delightful, too. The thickly applied gouache artwork captures every wry moment, and not since Kevin Henkes has an artist been able to do so much with so little--the slight curve of a smile or dot of an eye. Fun with some bite. Ilene Cooper