Synopses & Reviews
A little English, a little Russian, and a lot of heart make a birthday celebration you won't want to miss! When Sara's grandma, Catherine the Great, suddenly announces, "This year for my birthday, I want no presents! I have music in my Russian bones, and laughing in my heart. I have the day and the night, and I have all of you," Sara is surprised. How can Grandma have a birthday party with no presents?" Her mama explains that a NO PRESENT can be anything from a kiss or a hug to a game of gin rummy -- as long as it comes from deep inside you. But what kind of NO PRESENT would be good enough for Catherine the Great? Mr. Minsky, Monica, and her dad, Mary Caruso and her baby, Mimmo, already have good ideas. But it isn't until Sara is surrounded by Grandma's bundles of Russian newspapers and books that she gets her won idea: She will teach Grandma to read and write English. This lively borscht-and-blintzes birthday celebration shows that sometimes NO PRESENTS can be the best presents of all.
Review
Best and Potter join their considerable talents for the not-to-be missed borscht-and-blintzes birthday party for a hardworking Russian grandmother . . . Three cheers indeed! (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review)
Review
An enduring portrayal of a family, a neighborhood and a "Great" person. (School Library Journal, Starred Review, August 1999)
Review
This story of a child's relationship with a special grandparent includes many endearing moments. (Horn Book, November/December 1999)
Review
This sweet story reminds kids that the best gifts come from the heart. (Child, December/January 2000)
Review
Author Cari Best, who had a grandmother devoted to their Russian past, does a beautiful job of showing how ready acceptance of one another makes a wonderful present for all. (San Jose Mercury News)
Review
It's not Cathrine, empress of Russia, who inspires this charming story of family love, but Best's Russian immigrant grandmother. When Sara's grandmother requests "no presents" for her birthday celebration, Sara is stumped. The neighbors all have ideas, but Sara wants her "no present" to be a special as her grandmother. Seeking inspiration, Sara watches her grandmother cook, play clapping songs with the baby, and read Russian books and newspapers. Suddenly she realizes the perfect "no present": helping Grandmother learn to read and write English. In lively, lyrical prose, Best celebrates a special family relationship, and conveys the unique challenges and joys of an immigrant's new life. The lack of pronunciation guides for the Russian words peppering the text may be an obstacle for read-alouds, but examples of the language are an effective device to illustrate the difficulties of living in a foreign country without being literate its language. Potter's festive, whimsical artwork is an irresistible play of vibrant colors and patters, filled with rich detail and diverse, expressive characters. Kids may also be inspired and reassured by Best's realistic examples of a "no present"--heartfelt gifts that need not be tangible or costly to be appreciated, useful, and cherished. (Booklist, Starred Review)
About the Author
Cari Best grew up in New York City in an extended European family dominated by confident, beautiful women who loved to talk. As a result, she was a very shy child who found out, happily, that she didn't need to talk to be a good writer or a good athlete. One of the highlights of her childhood was winning a school-wide spelling bee with the words "aurora borealis". One of the highlights of her adulthood was being invited to the Baseball Hall of Fame to talk about her childhood. A graduate of Queens College (City University of New York), Cari Best holds an MLS degree from Drexel University (Philadelphia). She has served as special librarian at the International Reading Association (1975-76), librarian at a public library, and is currently editorial director at a film company (since 1986). Cari Best has written several picture books including the 1995 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer's Award Winner Taxi! Taxi!, Red Light, Green Light, Mama and Me (Orchard), Getting Used to Harry (Orchard), Top Banana (Orchard), Montezuma's Revenge (Orchard), Last Licks: A Spaldeen Story (DK Ink), and most recently, the acclaimed Three Cheers for Catherine the Great (DK Ink), which received starred reviews in Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal, and Booklist. For her latest work, Three Cheers for Catherine the Great! from DK Ink, Giselle Potter was inspired in part by her grandmother, Alice, who had her own special qualityÖa quality that made her seem like a queen-Queen Alice! Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, award-winning artist Giselle Potter received her B.A. from Rhode Island School of Design. To create her art, she begins with pencil drawings and adds colored ink, watercolor, gouache, or collage. Her work is influenced by folk art, Mexican ex-votos, Italian frescos-Fra Angelico, Giolto, Indian & Persian miniatures, Chagall, as well as current illustrators like Marya Kalman and Lane Smith. Ms. Potter has illustrated several picture books, including Gabriella's Song (Atheneum Books for Young Readers) by Candace Fleming, an ALA Notable Book, which received numerous starred reviews and about which Kirkus Reviews said was "dazzlingly captured in a palette of fresh colors and droll characterizations." Her work frequently appears in The New Yorker, and she was chosen a Publishers Weekly "Flying Start" in 1997. She lives in upstate New York.