Meh

I should have listened to the inner voice that whispered "but it's Madonna" when I picked this up at the library. I was much more interested in the illustrations than the story, so I figured I'd bring it home and read it to my 6 year old, and it would entertain us both. As it turns out, the inner voice was right. The story is pretty mediocre, at times annoying. The illustrations are pretty fabulous though! Knowing that, take a look at the cover of the book. Notice anything? Yep, it just says Madonna. The illustrator, Jeffrey Fulvimari, got a small recognition on the title page and that's it. Nothing on the front cover, nothing on the inside back cover, where I usually look for biographical information on illustrators I admire. If you ask me, he got a raw deal here. I doubt he's crying into his pillow though, as he's done loads of work for lots of chic clients.

While I'm at it, I'll mention some of the other illustrators I've been admiring for a while:
Lauren Child, author of the Charlie and Lola and Clarice Bean books
Marie-Louise Gay, author of the Stella books and Sam books
Melissa Sweet, brilliant illustrator of many lovely children's products, some of which are featured prominently on my girls' bedroom wall -- see below.