Nicolas, Where Have You Been? - Hardcover

Leo Lionni wrote and illustrated more than 40 picture books, including four Caldecott Honor Books. He died in 1999 at the age of 89.

Kindergarten-Grade 3 The mice community is angered by the birds who continually pick the sweetest berries, while the mice are left with the unripened ones. When Nicholas goes in search of a berry patch unscathed by birds, he is snatched up by a large black bird, falls into a nest sheltering three baby birds, becomes friendly with them, and finally returns to his fellow mice, telling them of the good deeds of the bird family. The large white pages are filled with Lionni's marbleized, textured, and color paper collages. The green foliage provides a satisfying brightness to the grays, browns, and blacks. His mice and birds are well developed and multi-dimensional with their sharp-lined shapes and body parts. Facial expressions of anger and confusion are particularly effective. The text is composed of brief sentences that aptly support each page of action. The story is a little heavy-handed in its message (i.e., the final scene in which one mouse says, ``One bad bird doesn't make a flock'')a saccharine ending to an otherwise delightful story. The book has potential for prompting classroom discussions. Mary Beth Burgoyne, Mesa Public Library, Ariz.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.