Written by Dara Dokas
Illustrated by Bernadette Pons
Published by Dutton, 2009
ISBN 9780525479628

Muriel Magee was about to have a birthday, but what is a birthday without guests? Eagerly she delivers her invitations, unaware that as she goes her lovely red sweater is unraveling behind her.

Two types of text illustrate this story; the action itself and a simple sentence highlighting a preposition or action in a yellow box on every other page (“… across the street”, “… around the corner”, “Just then, Muriel turned around.”) This concept could easily be used in teaching prepositions or action words to new English language learners (or for any child just beginning to build their own vocabulary). The illustrations are playful, executed in bright colors with animal characters that are friendly and inviting.

This picture book is a new twist on an animal story and could be useful in the teaching classroom.

—Heidi Håvan Grosch, educator and children’s literature enthusiast