Steppin' Up! Mama's Work Shoes by Caron Levis

Perry knew all of Mama's shoes.

Mama has fuzzy swushy shoes for around the house, and zippy shoes for playing at the park. She has flip-flops for sunny beach days and yellow stump-stump boots for rainy days.

But one day Mama comes home with new shoes--tall shoes that click and clack across the floor.

"Today, we are starting a new routine." said Mama.

Perry is not happy. "New routine" means click-clack shoes for Mama, two lunch bags, one for each of them, and being dropped off at their friend Nan's house while Mama goes to a place called Work.

Perry likes Nan, but she likes it more when Mama is there, too. Mama reminds her that she'll be back, and they can say what they always say at Nan's door.

"KNOCK KNOCK!

Cookoo Clock!

But the day at Nan's without Mama is not much fun. Mama finally comes and they walk back to their house, Mama's shoes click-clacking all the way. Despite Mama's reminder that her work shoes are also her coming-back shoes, that night Perry decides the shoes are the problem. She hides the click-clack shoes, and just to make sure, she hides ALL of Mama's shoes, too.

But Mama finds her work shoes and wears them again, as Perry sadly drags her feet on the way to Nan's again. But this time, she manages to have some fun with Nan. They dance the shimmy, and they are giggling over a tea party when Perry hears a KNOCK KNOCK! at the door. And that night Mama puts on her shushy shoes and they do everything they like together, including wearing no-shoes feet that go...

Tickle-tickle--together.

Caron Levis' brand-new Mama's Work Shoes (Abrams Books, 2019) is a bit of bibliotherapy for older toddlers and preschoolers experiencing their first day-long separation from their mothers, a time that creates some angst in child--and mother--and author Levis' story softens the anxiety without ignoring the very real sadness that such separation engenders. Levis' narration doesn't skip too lightly over the distress, while keeping the reassuring message and the secondary theme that each child has her or his part to play in their family's well-being. Artist Vanessa Brantley-Newton's sensitive but humorous illustrations support the leitmotif gently and sweetly. "Charming... dynamic, and colorful," says Kirkus.

Token of Fortune: The Tale of the Tiger Slippers by Jan Brett

"I live in a big house my father built, and I love to bound around the garden.

My friends are always curious about one thing, though.

"Why is there a pair of raggedy slippers in that fancy fountain?" they ask.

And in answer, the little Tiger Girl's father is always glad to tell his favorite story.

It seems when he was a cub, he and his mother were very poor. He worked hard all day, gathering firewood and carrying buckets of water, and his mother kindly sewed him a fine pair of red slippers to protect his tender feet. Soon thereafter, he discovered some fine white kaolin clay and earned money by making beautiful bricks. He even built his mother a beautiful house of the elegant white bricks where they lived happily, as fortune smiled upon them.

Years went by, and the slippers seemed to guide my every step.

At last he decided to wed, and as he presided over the splendid wedding party, a crocodile poked his toothy snout from the river and asked him a question.

"What kind of elegant bridegroom are you with those old slippers on your feet?" he scoffed.

The Tiger had to agree that the slippers are raggedy and worn, so he removes them and tosses them into the river to float. But, alas, they lodged in the sluice that serves a village downstream, and the river's waters eventually backed up and flooded everything. But an elephant spotted the problem, pulled out the slippers that plugged the sluice, and returned them to the Tiger, who put them on and wore them happily, until a visiting rhino remarked that such a wealthy landowner should surely not have to wear such raggedy slippers.

Time after time, the Tiger agreed to replace and dispose of his old slippers, each time with unfortunate results, until they are somehow found and returned to him. At last the Tiger's young cub suggested that he build a beautiful shrine to the lucky slippers his mother lovingly sewed for him, where they continued to bring him good fortune and adventures as long as he lived.

Author-illustrator Jan Brett's new reworking of the old story of "Abu Kassem's Slippers," The Tale of the Tiger Slippers, (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2019) provides an opportunity for her trademark decorous rococo borders and panels that amplify and foreshadow each following page.

A new Jan Brett picture books is an event, and this one is a delight for the eye, and, considering her preschool and primary grade readers, offers a cheerier plot line than the original tale from which it is derived, which depicts a miserly merchant whose refusal to replace his old shoes brings misfortune to all concerned. Brett's conclusion is upbeat, celebrating the Tiger's mother's love and his young cub's wisdom, and as always, her elaborately detailed paintings are fascinating and lovely. Says School Library Journal, "The lavish textiles and swooping architecture of ancient India look fantastic in this illustrator’s finely drawn style . . . . Brett continues to be one of the most revered retellers of classic tales.”

Shoe Chic: Shoe-La-La! by Karen Beaumont

PARTY DRESSES, PARTY HAIR...

NEED NEW PARTY SHOES TO WEAR!

Four young fashionistas must find footwear! Emily, Ashley, Kaitlyn, and Claire have a party to go to and they can't wait to choose new shoes for the fete!

Where else should they repair if not to that super stylish shoppe, Shoe-La-La, appropriately situated on the corner of Hightop and Oxford Streets? The clerk, elegantly turned out with his French mustache well-waxed, is ecstatic to see his four young customers, and the little style seekers are enthralled with his stock of merchandise:

SHOES WITH ZIPPERS, SHOES WITH STRAPS.

SHOES WITH BUCKLES, SHOES WITH TAPS!

The girls try on dozens, hundreds of pairs, seeking just the right slippers to grace their party gowns, from fringed cowgirl boots to bridal slippers, from poofy slippers to dainty Hepburnesque high heels, but the shoe seekers turn out to be savvy shoppers, wisely eschewing shoes that hurt their toes--or strain their budgets.

Finally, leaving Monsieur Shoe-La-La exhausted and sprawled over a mountain of rejected footwear, the four fashion lovers confess that nothing pleases them, and with a diva-esque "Sorry, Sir," take their leave.

Back home, it's custom design time. The four still-barefoot girls pull out their stash of ribbons, beads, feathers, and paints and recycle four pairs of old shoes into stylish party steppers:

SPARKLY DIAMONDS, PRETTY PEARLS!
RITZY, GLITZY GLAMOUR GIRLS!

Creatively refurbishing the plot of Stan and Jan Berenstain's classic Old Hat New Hat (Bright & Early Books(R)), Karen Beaumont's brand-new Shoe-La-La! (Scholastic, 2011) successfully celebrates the thrills of shopping and the fun of frugality, as the young fashion followers become their own personal designers. As in her earlier rhyming hits, I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! (ALA Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards)) and Doggone Dogs, done with artist David Catrow, Beaumont's witty and sparkling verse sparks the text, buoyantly illustrated by LeUyen Pham, whose own hits include Grace for President and the recent Bedtime for Mommy. Shoe-La-La! with four fashionistas who almost out-fancy Fancy Nancy Clancy, is sure to be popular with the many followers of pinkanista lit.

Mom Knows!: Louise the Big Cheese and the La-Di-Da-Shoes by Elise Primavera

Move over, Imelda Marcos!

Well, Louise Cheese doesn't actually have lots of snazzy shoes in her closet, but it's not because she doesn't love fancy footwear. It's her mother, Mrs. Cheese, who thinks patent leather pumps with sparkles are inappropriate for third grade girls. A quick trip to the store for new school shoes bypasses the shiny, sparkly patent pumps Louis begs for, and she finds herself with yet another pair of brown leather lace-up oxfords with sticky soles that squeak.

At school the next day Louise tells her story to her best friend Fern, grumpily pointing out that Fern's dirty, juice-stained sneakers could use an upgrade, too. But then Fern shows up the next day in the very pair of sparkly la-di-da shoes that Louise craved. All day long Fern lords it over her and accepts the admiring glances of everyone while Louis is reduced to absolute shoe lust. Fern is the center of attention all day, and Louise finds herself in trouble with her teacher for quarreling with her former friend.

But the shoe is literally on the other foot when it's time for the two to walk home; Fern's feet are blistered from the patent pumps and their sparkle is badly compromised by a day at school.

"I guess a little LA-DI-DA goes a long way," Louise admits, as she thoughtfully lends Fern her comfy brown shoes and bravely wears the peeling patent leather pumps all the way to her friend's house. By the time they arrive, Louise's heels are noticeably sore, too, and the two girls re-bond as best friends with Band-Aids all around.

Elise Primavera's second story of the would-be glamorous gal with big aspirations, Louise the Big Cheese and the La-di-da Shoes, (Simon and Schuster, 2010) perfectly accessorized with Diane Goode's standout illustrations, is a funny and fitting followup for young fashionistas to her opening title in this series, Louise the Big Cheese: Divine Diva. (See my recent review here.)