Big Birthday

by Kate Hosford, Holly Clifton-Brown (Illustrator)

Overview

Annabelle is determined to have a birthday party that stands out from the rest. The moon seems like the perfect spot! But wearing spacesuits and partying in a place with no air create some challenges that Annabelle didn't expect. Will her out-of-this-world birthday still be a blast?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467726733
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Series:	Carolrhoda Picture Books
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	47 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kate Hosford is the author of several picture books, including Infinity and Me which won the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book award and was named an ALA Notable Children's Book. She lives in Brooklyn.
Holly Clifton-Brown was born in London and attended Chelsea School of Art, Media, and Design and Bristol UWE Faculty of Art, Media and Design, where she attained a B.A. in Illustration. Her work has been exhibited at The London Transport Museum. She is the author and illustrator of Annie Hoot and the Knitting Extravaganza and has illustrated other picture books including Big Bouffant and Big Birthday.

Editorial Reviews

Annabelle's wish for an out-of-this-world birthday party crash-lands in Hosford's spirited, if slightly off-meter, book. What works are the whimsical illustrations. Clifton-Brown depicts Annabelle, her expressive, freckled face, with an ethereal glow that is at once childlike and celestial. Hosford does a fine job demonstrating Annabelle's determination to host a celebration that surpasses past parties at the zoo. However, constant shifts in meter are as jarring as a NASA warning: Reader, we have a problem. Annebelle says, "My birthday is soon. It's practically here. / I think I'll have my party on the moon this year," her words tilting in the meter of "Habenara" from Carmen. But later when the narrator declares, "They hired out an astronaut, experienced and smart, / Who rented them a rocket ship, guaranteed to start. […] / They shot into space with gravity pulling on everyone's face," the tempo misfires like opera at a rodeo. Readers will relate to Annabelle's birthday-bash struggle, and they will find the textural illustrations invigorating. But the clunky rhyme scheme frustrates repeat readings. While the illustrations maintain a harmonious duet with the story, the language stalls instead of soars. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews