Lucy's Feet - Hardcover

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Young Lucy, eight, picks the lint from between her toes just as her mother does, but has red hair unlike anyone else in the family. Lucy is adopted, and it's questionable as to whether she had much previous knowledge of this situation, in spite of her age. She is bothered by the thought that her younger brother ``grew inside'' her mother while she did not, and she expresses her anger by kicking others. Her mother assures the child that the love she felt while waiting for her grew within her heart. While Stein does show some of the emotional turmoil of an adoptee, her focal point, feet, trivializes the theme and diffuses the impact. The real point of the story is unclear for too long. Line drawings in red and black illustrate the text; most are captioned, which tends to limit each picture to a single idea. This book will have limited appeal for a small audience. --Martha Topol, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.