Lambslide

by Ann Patchett, Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator)

Overview

From the international bestselling author of Bel Canto and Commonwealth, Ann Patchett, and the bestselling illustrator of the Fancy Nancy series, Robin Preiss Glasser, comes a hilarious children’s story about a slide made just for lambs.

Nicolette Farmer is running for class president, and the rest of the Farmer family tells her she’ll win by a landslide. A pack of overconfident lambs mistakenly hear lambslide and can’t believe there’s a slide made just for them. But when they can’t find one on the farm, there’s only one thing left to do: take a vote!

They campaign. They bargain. They ask all the other animals if they, too, would like a lambslide.

Will the lambs ever get their special slide?

Find out in this epic collaboration between Patchett and Glasser, who create the perfect children’s book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062883384
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	168,259
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ann Patchett is the author of novels, most recently the #1 New York Times bestselling Tom Lake, works of nonfiction, and children's books. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the PEN/Faulkner, the Women's Prize in the U.K., and the Book Sense Book of the Year. Her novel The Dutch House was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. President Biden awarded her the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is the owner of Parnassus Books. Visit her at annpatchett.com

Robin Preiss Glasser has illustrated many acclaimed picture books, including the bestselling Fancy Nancy series, Lambslide, Escape Goat, and Grand Jeté and Me: A Christmas Holiday Book for Kids. She won the Children’s Choice Award for Best Illustrator of the Year for Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet. Robin actually wore tiaras and tutus when she danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet. Now she happily spends her days in jeans, drawing. Robin and her family live in Southern California.

Hometown:

Nashville, Tennessee

Date of Birth:

December 2, 1963

Place of Birth:

Los Angeles, California

Education:

B.A., Sarah Lawrence College, 1985; M.F.A., University of Iowa, 1987

Website:

http://www.annpatchett.com

Editorial Reviews

02/18/2019

The Farmer family’s lambs are extraordinarily adorable and remarkably self-centered: “Everything was about the lambs, as far as the lambs were concerned,” writes PEN/Faulkner Award-winning Patchett, making her children’s book debut. When young Nicolette Farmer announces her candidacy for class president and her mother predicts she’ll “win by a landslide,” the lambs naturally hear “lambslide” and rally support for this heretofore nonexistent recreational equipment. Shedding—for the most part—their woolly airhead ways, they canvass their farmyard constituency and take on tough questions (the chicken wants assurance that money won’t be diverted from chicken feed). With a crafty assist from the now victorious Nicolette, they win a landslide farmyard vote for the lambslide, which is created with blue plastic sheeting on a hill. Patchett makes an important point without belaboring it: in a democracy, never count anyone out. Watercolor-and-ink depictions of farm life by Glasser (the Fancy Nancy series) seem a little idyllic at first—one of the lambs even wears a flower crown—but the approach proves to be the ideal visual counterpoint to Patchett’s plainspoken prose. Ages 4–8. (May)

Publishers Weekly

A good story about cooperation—and the democratic process.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Patchett’s first children’s book is pleasantly old-fashioned, with some modern touches...” — Kirkus Reviews

“[Glasser’s] art amiably captures the daily milieu of farm life, from piglets cheerfully rolling in the muck to farmers chucking hay bales to Nicolette’s daydreaming under dappled leaves and swaying branches.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“[Patchett’s] gentle humor [respects] the whimsy of childhood.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Award-winning adult author Patchett makes her picture-book
debut with this feel-good story, stuffed with tips on how to solve a problem and execute a plan.” — Booklist

“And what a slide it is! It’s a stunning success...” — Booklist

“A fun way to introduce the concepts of campaigning and voting to young readers.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

And what a slide it is! It’s a stunning success...

Booklist

[Patchett’s] gentle humor [respects] the whimsy of childhood.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

[Glasser’s] art amiably captures the daily milieu of farm life, from piglets cheerfully rolling in the muck to farmers chucking hay bales to Nicolette’s daydreaming under dappled leaves and swaying branches.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Award-winning adult author Patchett makes her picture-book
debut with this feel-good story, stuffed with tips on how to solve a problem and execute a plan.

Booklist

05/01/2019

K-Gr 2—When the lambs overhear the farmer say the word landslide, they think he says lambslide and they immediately want one. What follows is a bit of a civics lesson as the lambs poll the other farm animals to see what they think of the slide idea. Each animal brings up a question the lambs hadn't considered. How will the slide affect the other animals? Who will get to use it? Who will pay for it? Where will they put it? Next, they petition the farmer for the slide with the help of the farmer's daughter (who just happened to win her class election by a landslide). Finally, the animals get to vote on the new lambslide, which of course, is approved overwhelmingly. The ink and watercolor illustrations are classic Glasser and the farm family will most likely remind readers of Fancy Nancy and her family. VERDICT A fun way to introduce the concepts of campaigning and voting to young readers.—Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

School Library Journal

2019-03-03

When three self-centered young lambs hear the word "landslide," they mistake it for "lambslide."

The lambs live on an idyllic farm with the Farmers and their three children. The daughter, Nicolette, is running for class president. Her enthusiastic mom tells her: "You'll win by a landslide!" The lambs believe everything on the farm happens for their benefit and are excited about the new lambslide, but their mother corrects them and says plaintively: "Now will you please let me finish eating the lawn?" After considering the other animals' fun (pigs cavorting in mud and horses riding out with the humans), the lambs return to their mom, and she suggests polling the other farm inhabitants about a lambslide. They ask a chicken, a goat, and a pig for their support, then the humans. Nicolette, an experienced campaigner, makes signs. An election is held. "When all the votes were counted, the lambslide had won by a landslide." The Farmers and their farmworker (all white) construct the slide, with everyone working. Patchett's first children's book is pleasantly old-fashioned, with some modern touches: Nicolette and her mother work as hard as the boys and men, and Nicolette gets involved in politics early! Preiss Glasser carries the book with her slyly humorous ink-and-watercolor illustrations, crafting distinct personalities for all her animal characters.

A good story about cooperation—and the democratic process. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews