CATERINA AND THE PERFECT PARTY

The best-laid plans of mice and OCD birds….

Caterina is a small brown bird with a penchant for crafting and an obsession with lists: “Lists of things to do / Lists of things not to do / Lists of things to love / Lists of things not to love” (the only item on this list, iterated three times, is “surprises”). Her most important list is that of her friends, because she is preparing to throw her first party. She has planned everything down to the last detail. She has creatively crafted invitations and decorations, and she has prepared sumptuous appetizers. Caterina schleps all the party goods to the picnic site and readies the elegant feast. However, she has reckoned without the unpredictability of the weather. It rains on her parade and drenches all her creations. She is devastated and does not know what to do, until her friends come to the rescue, bringing wonderful potluck food, music and good cheer. The impromptu party and slap-up feed is better than anything Caterina could have planned. The well-worn message that having good friends trumps adversity is given a fresh interpretation in these charming, collage-filled pages. Any child who enjoys scrapbooking or crafts will be inspired to get busy with crayons, glue and scissors by the crafty images on every page.

In spite of a somewhat lackluster text, this is a refreshingly traditional antidote to electronic amusements.