"Ooh ... Making sounded
beautiful to Tulip.
So, she picked up her orange
and made a slow O, just like
Mama had taught her.
Tulip added C shapes - "
It will soon be Mama's special day ... too soon! Oleander is having a time trying to make a decision about a gift he can make that will truly celebrate his brilliant mama. The other three kittens have ideas, but none seem to be just right. Would flowers work? All they can find are weeds that are prickly and unappealing. Oleander is busy with a package of seeds. When asked for help, he suggests that they make flowers of their own to give to Mama.
Tulip likes that idea. She begins with orange and does her best to draw some lovely flowers. As Tulip adds more of Mama's favorite colors, Oleander only has brown. Herbie uses his saved-up bits and scraps, working tirelessly to collage something wonderful. Oleander makes wet dirt from his brown. Blossom's imagination runs away with her and she pens a song. Oleander's seeds in brown dirt are not very inspiring. Everyone is excited, wanting to see Oleander's flowers since it was all his idea. Nothing is happening there.
When the kittens wake Mama to show the flowers they have made for her, Mama couldn't be more delighted. Poor Oleander ... so sad that his flower is late. His mother's love wraps around him as she explains that flowers take their own time. Besides, she already loves his ... and all the others.
Deborah Freedman's welcome description of the art she created to tell this heartfelt and endearing tale is inspirational. Her explanation that she did a lot of experimentation as she worked helps readers see that there are many different ways to explore their own creativity. She describes how each of the kittens used their own artistic leanings to find the perfect gift for Mama.
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