ALA Booklist (Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 1999)

Libby learns that telling the truth is not always as simple as it seems, especially when it hurts. After she's punished for lying to her mother, Libby wounds her friends, classmates, and neighbors by pointing out their weaknesses, mistakes, and embarrassments to everyone, until she realizes that there are times to keep quiet. The story is very much a lesson, but it's a subtle one, and Potter's colorful, naive-style illustrations capture the innocence and eagerness of the good girl who learns that telling tales is not the way to be nice, that some things are private. Empathy is the message here, and Libby's scenarios are good starting points for discussion. (Reviewed December 15, 1999)

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2000)

After her mother chastises her for lying, Libby resolves to tell nothing but the truth. Unfortunately, she becomes honest to the point of insulting (a neighbor's garden resembles "a jungle") and alienates her community. Only when on the receiving end of a painful truth does Libby comprehend her folly. The pastel watercolor and ink illustrations capture the story's Southern milieu, warmth, and humor.

Kirkus Reviews

<p>1888</p> 1888.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

"McKissack thoroughly examines a common childhood problem—discerning when the truth helps and when it hurts—with homespun language and accessible situations," wrote <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW. "The intimate settings so integral to Potter's folk-art style provide a fitting complement to the author's cozy community." Ages 4-8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Jan.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-When Libby Louise's Mama tells her to "Speak the truth and shame the devil," Libby takes the advice too literally, and tells truths wherever she goes. Starting with telling her friend-in public-that there's a hole in her sock, Libby pushes honesty to the hilt both in school and out, about missed homework, embarrassing mistakes and punishments, and messy yards. Her promise to "tell the truth no matter how much it hurt" leaves a trail of wounded feelings and offended people, but Libby doesn't understand the reactions she's getting until her beloved horse is called an "old flea-ridden swayback." The language of the text conveys the flavor of African-American Southern speech patterns, using some colorful similes ("That horse is older than black pepper") but avoiding the use of dialect. The illustrations, in a faux-na f style, are done in soft tones, with browns and greens predominating, evoking the warm feeling of a small country community in which blacks and whites live, go to school, and attend Sunday school together, and everyone knows everyone else. A welcome offering about honesty and consideration.-Marian Drabkin, Richmond Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.