by Eliza Thomas
Illustrated by Joe Cepeda
Scholastic Press, New York, 2004
ISBN 0-439-32253-7
Ages 4-8
She rushed into town to buy the supplies she needed for a baby, which included a soft red blanket sitting high on the shelves. She felt like it was just what her baby would need. It took two days and three nights just to get to the orphanage, but she finally made it. Inside, the babies were arranged four per cot, and they lifted up PanPan from one of the cots and placed her in Eliza's arms. For a couple of pages in the story that represented a couple of days, PanPan seemed to have a hard time adjusting to her new situation. The five month old wouldn't even look at her new mother's face. But eventually Eliza wrapped the baby in the soft, red blanket, and that seemed to be the connection of acceptance between the two. After getting PanPan home and introducing her to everything and everyone, including Lily, mother and daughter begin their new life together.
The story jumps to the present day, and PanPan still clings to the now thread-bare red blanket-- sleeping with it and taking it wherever she goes. It will always be special to her, as it represents the day she and her mom became a family.
The story was very touching, and many children will be able to relate to the red blanket because of a special blankie they may have carried around for years. I can relate, too, because my firstborn had what he called his gonka that he took with him everywhere.
...Over the years, the blanket has become threadbare and fragile while the relationship between mother and daughter has strengthened. Vibrantly colored oil illustrations dominate the pages... The pictures convey the anxiety, the waiting, and the love that are a part of expanding a family. With the number of inter-country adoptions increasing, this story, based on the author's experiences, is a welcome addition.
-- Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI; Copyright Reed Business Information; accessed through Amazon.com
The pages are swathed in primary and secondary colors -- and the absence of white on the pages make even the text-only pages warm and inviting. The illustrator effectively uses close-up pictures and faraway-- most of them holding the baby. The artist uses two-page spreads with the text in a lighter color in a darker corner of the page, or the text is dark on a lighter colored page facing an illustrated page. Cepeda did a good job showing emotion through his pictures, but also his choices of color.