Publishers Weekly
Four ticky-tacky decorations—a flamingo, a gnome, a lawn jockey, and a deer with half an ear—ponder their future when their owners move away. They miss Pearl, the girl who “knew that they were real,” and they face other threats: “ 'If we stay here,' said Betty, 'the new owners may store us in the garage—or, worse...' 'The curb!' they all said.” Mindful of being mistaken for garbage, they leave the downscale cottage in search of Pearl's new gated community, Ritzy Estates. Yaccarino (The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau) gives the ornaments salt-of-the-earth names—Flo, Betty, Norm, and Jack—and places them in droll situations, which often appear in side panels, lending the tale a storyboard quality. During their journey, the four pose as water features in a fountain, walk along stacked like the Bremen Town Musicians, and get directions from Paul Bunyan. Other gnomes, RV-park flamingos, and racetrack jockeys also temporarily distract them, but they persevere. In sinuous contemporary art, Yaccarino humorously considers the secret lives of inanimate objects and lampoons the vagaries of taste: “Some people didn't love lawn ornaments the way Pearl did.” Ages 5–9. (Jan.)
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2—When Pearl's family moves, they forget to pack their lawn ornaments. Betty (a deer), Flo (a flamingo), Norm (a gnome), and Jack (a jockey) have a special fondness for the little girl and set off to find her. They face many perils, especially since "Only Pearl knew that they were real.… Some people didn't love lawn ornaments the way Pearl did." Sequential cartoon illustrations that resemble animation stills chart the foursome's madcap trip as they pop up from manhole covers in the city, climb snow-covered mountains, and trek across swamps and fields. They finally arrive at Ritzy Estates, only to be rudely refused entry by "snooty" marble lions. Dejected, they sit on the curb and are then tossed into the back of a "dreaded trash truck." As it turns out, their nemesis drives them right through the gates and into the arms of Pearl. The art is done in a flat, retro style and is filled with amusing and clever details. The characters have an offbeat charm, and their longing for a lost friend rings true.—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Kirkus Reviews
After their friend Pearl moves, four tacky lawn ornaments hit the road looking for her new home in Ritzy Estates. Betty (a deer), Flo (a flamingo), Norm (a garden gnome) and Jack (a jockey, Caucasian) must stick together during an arduous journey and evade the dreaded trash truck-once a trash truck takes an ornament, "it never comes back!" The colorful gang meets both creepy and helpful statuary along the way: Gargoyles follow them, gnomes offer assistance, a fast-food burger-boy points the way. Yaccarino offers young readers a world of cool duality, in which objects alternately talk, feel and move-and then don't. Illustrations, although vivid, communicate only freeze-frame flatness, making the ornaments appear caught in halted animation and reinforcing the book's magic. Bustling adults remain oblivious to the statues' conversations, travels and communities, while child readers see everything. Young readers will relish experiencing and knowing something that adults do not or can not. Although many children might not have seen lawn ornaments before, Yaccarino's endearing, earnest characters are worth getting to know. (Picture book. 4-8)
From the Publisher
Starred review, Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2009:
“Yaccarino’s endearing, earnest characters are worth getting to know.”
Review, Booklist, December 1, 2009:
"A keeper."
Review, Publishers Weekly, December 21, 2009:
"In sinuous contemporary art, Yaccarino humorously considers the secret lives of inanimate objects."
School Library Journal - Audio
09/01/2014
PreS-Gr 3—Do you ever wonder if lawn ornaments have a secret life? Four friendly lawn ornaments, Flo the flamingo, Norm the gnome, Jack the jockey, and Betty the deer have a friendship with their home's resident, Pearl. A family move to a snooty subdivision leaves the ornaments fending for themselves and worrying if they will be captured by the dreaded garbage truck. Rallying, the figures discover a map which will lead them to Pearl. But first they must brave swamps, evil gargoyles, and the guard lions at Pearl's gated community, Ritzy Estates. Will they be reunited with their human and grace the new home's frontyard? A simple adventure story with a happy reunion is told using limited animation and stays true to the picture book (Knopf, 2010). Narrator Kirby Heyborne provides a variety of voices for the ornaments while inserting some drama with the confrontation with the gargoyles and snooty lions. Use this story when studying communities or moving, and for creative writing activities. A read-along feature provides the highlighted text.—Nancy Baumann, Literacy Consultant, Columbia, MO
