Publishers Weekly
10/25/2021
When Alice, who has white skin, dark hair, and sports pink spectacles, wins a wagonload of lollipops in a school raffle, all of her classmates clamor for one: “Can I have one, too?” “Sure, if there’s enough,” says Alice. But her nonchalance strikes a definite chord: her peers respond first with panic (“There aren’t enough?!”), then with bribes, threats, and sob stories (“I haven’t had a lollipop since my last haircut,” wails a shaggy kid), and even attempts to turn one classmate against another (“Don’t count the New Kid. This prize is for your real classmates”). Player’s (Paletero Man) digital cartooning uses a candy-hued palette to emphasize the school’s escalating mania, with compositions that lean into the book’s horizontal format offering a sense of the commotion’s emotional and geographic sweep. Finally, Alice insists the kids line up for the treats, and sanity is restored: some realize that lollipops aren’t such a big deal, apologies are proffered to offended parties, and it turns out there are more than enough to go around. Though Maynor (A House for Every Bird) plays it all for laughs, the story should spark conversations about scarcity mindset. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Minju Chang, BookStop Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
"Maynor's writing is flavored with wit and wrapped in moral subtleties. Even for the anti-confectionary crowd, a believable, relatable story that avoids a saccharine conclusion."—Kirkus, starred review
"Though Maynor plays it all for laughs, the story should spark conversations about scarcity mindset."—Publishers Weekly
"In this funny glimpse of political losses and gains, Alice finds out what it’s like to hold all the cards—especially when the cards are lollipops. This cheerful picture book is an entertaining read and has only one agenda—fun."—School Library Journal
"Maynor’s humorous morality tale is accompanied by Player’s vibrant, rainbow-hued bubblegum-pop illustrations, with readers following Alice’s dilemma as she tries to remain fair but thoughtful and kind, as well. A unique story about decision-making and sharing that showcases the sweet and salty consequences of winning big."—Booklist
School Library Journal
04/29/2022
PreS-Gr 2—In this funny glimpse of political losses and gains, Alice finds out what it's like to hold all the cards—especially when the cards are lollipops. She wins the school's raffle for a wagon full of lollipops, and the other kids want her to share; worried that there will not be enough to go around, they all begin angling for them. This causes Alice to wonder if the prize was worth winning. She decides to give the lollipops away and tells them to stand in a line if they want one. Some kids are grateful to get a lollipop while others aren't and some don't want a lollipop after all. In the end, the kids learn that the fighting and backbiting were unnecessary because there were, in fact, enough lollipops to go around. The illustrations are as bright as a candy shop, and when the speech bubbles begin to fill the page with entreaties, readers will feel Alice's pain. These colorful illustrations perfectly capture each scene and how Alice and her classmates feel. The scenes include a variety of hair textures, body types, and a wheelchair user. The humor is high, even though, ultimately, the stakes are low. VERDICT This cheerful picture book is an entertaining read and has only one agenda—fun.—Myiesha Speight
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2021-11-16
A windfall of candy creates a philosophical dilemma for a kindhearted young girl.
When Alice wins the school raffle, she receives "a basket of lollipops so big, the principal pulled it onstage in a wagon.” She wants to share it with her classmates, but the elation of winning this sweet prize gives way to stress when it becomes clear that there may not be enough lollipops for everyone. Predictably, some students try to curry favor and sympathy with Alice, reminding her of their past acts of kindness toward her and regaling her with sob stories; "You're my only hope for candy till Halloween," one kid says mournfully. Other kids advise her to exclude certain students from her provision, claiming that the kindergarteners are too young to handle lollipops and suggesting that the new kids could be overlooked since Alice doesn’t know them very well. As the clamor grows, Alice has to make some hard decisions and learn that you can't please everyone. Luckily, the candy crisis works itself out so that there are more than enough sweets to go around…but what to do with the leftovers? Maynor's writing is flavored with wit and wrapped in moral subtleties. Player's retro-styled illustrations tie the hues of the lollipops to the children's colorful attire but never go overboard; there's plenty of drama around the crushing candy saga without overplaying the visuals. There is some racial diversity to Alice’s classmates, and one child uses a wheelchair. Alice reads as White.
Even for the anti-confectionary crowd, a believable, relatable story that avoids a saccharine conclusion. (Picture book. 4-7)
