Yoko's Show-and-Tell (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Yoko's Show-and-Tell Deborah Stevenson Wells, Rosemary. Yoko's Show-and-Tell; written and illus. by Rosemary Wells. Disney/Hyperion, 2010. [40p.] ISBN 978-1-4231-1955-5 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys R 5-7 yrs. Little Yoko adores Miki, the heirloom doll her Japanese grandparents send her, and though her mother forbids it ("Miki is too delicate to take to school"), she desperately wants to bring Miki to class for show-and-tell. Yoko should have listened to Mama: a secret attempt to smuggle the doll into school despite absence of maternal permission ends in a damaged Miki when rowdy boys rough the doll up on the bus. Fortunately, Mama is not only forgiving but wise, sending Miki off to the doll hospital for repair, and much to Yoko's relief the doll is home in fine fettle by the time Yoko's grandparents arrive for a visit. Wells enlivens this tale of the price of unresisted temptation with sprightly storytelling and warm understanding, and the story's additional facets—Miki's role in the Japanese holiday Girls' Day, the fascinating notion of the doll hospital and Yoko's visits to Miki there—add color and depth. The illustrations evince the same balanced use of rich patterning and gold accents as the other Yoko titles, and Yoko's world of anthropomorphized animals (the mischievous boys are sporty, bulldog-esque pups) retains its enticing blend of cuddly charm and sympathetic humanity. Though the final punchline is a little strange (the troublemakers, whom the audience has forgotten about, have to do yardwork at Yoko's house in penance), audiences will relate to the story arc from minor malfeasance to relieved exculpation. [End Page 49] Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois