Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1998)

Starred Review Zelda and Ivy are young fox sisters; Zelda, the older, is the boss, and Ivy is the bossee. Each of the three vignettes shows Zelda working some big-sister hocus-pocus on little Ivy. In the first chapter, Zelda and Ivy are playing circus, and Zelda says she will choose and announce the tricks. At Zelda's urging, fabulous Ivy on the Flying Trapeze tries to balance herself on her tail--and fails with a thump. In the second chapter, Zelda convinces Ivy that all the hippest foxes are painting blue stripes on their tails. In the last tale, after Zelda tells Ivy that magic dust under her pillow will allow her a wish, Ivy asks the universe for a baton--just like the one Zelda has. A chastened Zelda makes Ivy's wish come true, but she soon figures out a way to get the upper hand once more. Marvelously true to life and tinged with sly wit, the stories will be viewed knowingly by both big and little sisters, who'll see themselves here. Kvasnosky not only has a way with words; her illustrations are delightful, too. The thickly applied gouache artwork captures every wry moment, and not since Kevin Henkes has an artist been able to do so much with so little--the slight curve of a smile or dot of an eye. Fun with some bite. (Reviewed April 1, 1998)

School Library Journal Starred Review

PreS-Gr 2--Children everywhere will recognize and relate to these three stories that take a gentle, humorous look at sibling dynamics. Ivy is a guileless young fox and Zelda is her bossy big sister. In "Circus Act," Zelda assumes the role of master of ceremonies ("I'm the oldest") and spurs Ivy on to attempt ever-more daring feats on a swing until she takes a spill. In "The Latest Style," Zelda thinks up a variety of ways for the two of them to "doozy up " their tails "like movie stars" using Ivy as a model. In the final vignette, Ivy desperately wants a baton just like her sister's and Zelda tells her to put fairy dust under her pillow and wish for one. The wish comes true, or seems to, when Zelda places her own baton under Ivy's pillow. The energetic gouache-resist artwork features bright colors, homey scenes, and priceless expressions achieved with a minimum of line. Doozy up your shelves with Zelda and Ivy.--Luann Toth, School Library Journal

Horn Book (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 1998)

In the first two chapters of this dead-on-target expose of siblinghood, older sister Zelda reigns supreme when playing with younger sister Ivy; in the third chapter, there is a power shift (temporary, of course) as Zelda's know-it-all big-sister tactics backfire and she has to be much, much nicer to Ivy than she was ever truly mean. Kvasnosky's illustrations of the two young fox siblings are as spirited and full of life as her very funny text.