Publishers Weekly
In this satisfying companion to Williams's Caldecott Honor book, A Chair for My Mother, bighearted Rosa welcomes Benji, the son of her Aunt Ida, into the family-and into its beloved armchair splashed with roses. While a midwife delivers the baby upstairs, restless Rosa curls up in the chair ("Our chair is a lucky chair") and contentedly imagines sharing her life with a young cousin. And when Rosa's mother and grandmother consider reupholstering or replacing the chair, she determinedly tells her mother that the chair must remain as is and that it will accompany her wherever she goes (Williams humorously illustrates her vow with an image of Rosa lugging the overstuffed piece of furniture on a mountain hike). Soft, brightly colored gouache art, hemmed in by borders that feature a cheery array of images and patterns, affectingly captures the close bond among family members as they celebrate a new arrival and an old friend: Rosa's treasured chair. The bustling scenes of family life that stuff the pages of this warm intergenerational story should prove irresistible. Ages 3-8. (May)
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School Library Journal
Gr 2-4
In her fourth book about Rosa, Williams once again devises a tale filled with warmth and vitality. With Aunt Ida and Uncle Sandy living upstairs, the girl welcomes their newborn into the family. She participates in caring for Benji, and even plans for the fun they will have as he grows older. The story's central focus, however, is Rosa's beloved, velvet-rose-covered chair. Grandma suggests that the worn and stained fabric needs replacing, and her mother mentions buying a new one. Rosa puts down her foot. "Don't you even care about history?" she responds, reminding her mother how they bought the chair with saved dimes and quarters, and how it is now a part of the family. Even if she becomes president and moves to the White House, Rosa claims, the chair will go too. Her mother hugs her and replies, "Rosa, you sure do say the strangest things." Rich watercolor illustrations featuring the child and her extended family give a comfortable feeling to this heartfelt tale. In this national economic turndown, a story that emphasizes sharing with family and friends and realizing what is important in everyday life will be a welcome choice, and children who have loved Rosa before will find this book equally appealing-Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA
Kirkus Reviews
Yes, good things do come to those who wait! It's been more than 25 years since A Chair for My Mother was published and won a 1983 Caldecott Honor. Now Rosa and the chair return. Two previous books about Rosa, Something Special for Me (1983) and Music, Music for Everyone (1984), follow the first but focus on her choosing a special birthday present and joining a band to earn money to help her mom when her grandmother is sick. In this companion story, Rosa waits for the birth of her baby cousin, who is being delivered at home by a midwife. The ingenuous text captures Rosa's excitement as she sits in her mother's chair and imagines Baby filling out her combo. After Baby Benji arrives, Grandma and Mama both suggest replacing the old chair, but Rosa demonstrates the staunch conservatism of the very young-"Don't you even care about history?"-and the role of the chair in this close family circle happily continues. As the narrative weaves all the stories together, Williams's inimitable gouache illustrations personalize the family members in this very satisfying tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
From the Publisher
A tale filled with warmth and vitality…In this national economic turndown, a story that emphasizes sharing with family and friends and realizing what is important in everyday life will be a welcome choice, and children who have loved Rosa before will find this book equally appealing.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“The ingenuous text captures Rosa’s excitement…[and] Williams’s inimitable gouache illustrations personalize the family members in this very satisfying tale.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Soft, brightly colored gouache art…affectingly captures the close bond among family members as they celebrate a new arrival and an old friend: Rosa’s treasured chair. The bustling scenes of family life that stuff the pages of this warm intergenerational story should prove irresistible.” — Publishers Weekly
