Three Brave Women - Hardcover

Fright is compounded by humiliation: Caitlin took off her pants because a spider was crawling on them, and Billy saw her underpants. Tactfully, Mama and Grammy reminisce about similar embarrassing moments and their own continuing phobias until the three are giggling and teasing together. Finally, Caitlin decides to confront her fear, thus setting the others a good example: she captures a spider and takes it to Billy, only to find that he too has a fear to overcome. In a text long enough to double as a young reader, the author of the well-received The Dragon Nanny (1988) presents a pleasing picture of three generations interacting as equals, with the youngest given the satisfying role of helping the others take a new look at an old problem. Elwell's pen-and-watercolor illustrations center on dramatic moments and expressed emotions, underlining the subtle similarities between the three ``women'' at different ages. An attractive realistic story. (Picture book. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Caitlin is mortified. To avoid touching a spider, she had to take off her pants, and her friend Billy Huxley saw her in her duck underpants. "I know exactly how you feel," sympathizes Grammy, and thus follows a series of family stories about when Caitlin's mother and her grandmother faced spiders of their own. Eventually, Caitlin conquers her fears as all three brave women capture "the biggest, blackest spider in the whole world," and she discovers to her surprise that Billy has fears of his own. Martin's ( The Dragon Nanny ) characters are loving and lively, though the narration of the stories tends toward the sentimental, as when "Mama has a giggle fit with her memories." Nonetheless, her tale is engaging, and Elwell's ( Time Out ) cheerful watercolors--occasionally calling to mind Norman Rockwell--nicely complement the family warmth and camaraderie. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.