School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Yoko is an accomplished reader, but she is not letting on. When her teacher asks her to sound out the word "Pan," she says, "Nap?" and when given the word "Cat," she guesses "Dog?" Soon, though, her ability is discovered-she writes a letter to Thunderchip Cornflakes Company for a secret decoder ring, and she helps her friend Timothy with origami instructions. When asked why she has kept her skill a secret, the little kitten replies that she's afraid her mother will stop reading bedtime stories to her. After much reassurance, Yoko agrees to read to her mother as well. Many children will identify with the little feline and take delight in knowing her secret. Each page sports a bright, color illustration that will aid beginning readers in decoding the text. Simple yet poignant, this book would make a good addition to easy-reader collections.-Anne Knickerbocker, formerly at Cedar Brook Elementary School, Houston, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Yoko comes to school for career week announcing that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up; she brings valuable Japanese dolls (her "students") with her. The dolls disappear overnight but reappear the next day. This easy reader, illustrated in Wells's style, is less obviously moralistic than others in the series but more jarring because it has two distinct plots and no satisfying resolution to either. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
