| Buddy is a bucket filler. And in Buddy the Bucket Filler we find out what this is (doing nice things to help other people fill their imaginary happiness bucket) and how to do it. Maria Dismondy and Carol McCloud create a short story about how Buddy, a young kid visiting his great uncle for a week during the summer, helps the people of Uncle Frank’s town. They find ways to get barbecue sauce to the barbecue picnic. They help a neighbor carry her groceries; they share their cherries that Buddy picked himself with a mother at the ballpark. And near the end of his trip, Buddy finds a very special way to help someone.
The illustrations of Julia Seal are sweet and cute. They are colorful and look like they are aimed at the toddler up crowd. And while they are not WOW my favorites, they fit the tone of the story perfectly and support the text. They are nice, cozy images that go with a cozy concept. There are extras to help you understand the concepts and show you how you can do more yourself. One thing I found odd was that the father of Buddy mentions the death of his father when he was a boy about Buddy’s age. I am not sure why this piece of information was needed, after all, Buddy had a great time with Uncle Frank the year before, and did not need to have his father die to have the lessons Uncle Frank teaches. It is the one fly in the ointment for me. While this book is not for everyone (I enjoyed it, but not “jumping up and down over it”), everyone might find something from it. |
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