Zoe Sophia's Scrapbook

Starred review from May 19, 2003
Aspiring globetrotters will enjoy meeting Zoe Sophia, a sophisticated but sweet nine-year-old New Yorker who shares her scrapbook-in-progress during a voyage to Venice in this kicky picture-book travelogue. Though the narrator adores her big-city life, she eagerly anticipates a trip to Italy to visit her beloved great-aunt Dorothy, with her constant companion, Mickey the dachshund, in tow. Girl and dog immediately embrace Dorothy's version of la dolce vita, touring art galleries and landmarks, riding a vaporetto ("like a boat-bus") and gondola, attending the opera and enjoying Italian cuisine. But when Mickey disappears one afternoon, things threaten to go sour. Happily, a tidy Zoe-Mickey reunion ensures more bright spots in the vacation. Making their children's book debuts, Mauner and Smalley (college friends) create a sensory experience of one of the world's great cities via the eyes of a spirited yet never obnoxious heroine. Italian words and phrases (with parenthetical definitions), names of historic sites and descriptions of various customs pepper Zoe's easy-flowing entries. The text sustains a nice balance between Zoe Sophia's appropriate sense of wonder, and a slightly precocious tone. Throughout, Mauner delivers a distinct sense of place with her watercolor-and-India ink compositions. Her scenes—some full-page paintings, some framed to look like scrapbook photos—incorporate humorous and factual details that lend her setting and characters copious personality (a window view of a "gondola repair shop" looks like a backdrop to a Chirico painting; funky boots, striped stockings and trendy glasses). Readers may well shout, "Brava!" and wish for the heroine's swift return. Ages 3-7.

July 1, 2003
Native New Yorker Zoe Sophia visits a favorite relative in Venice. Her Venetian experiences include the opera, a glass factory, and a gondola ride. Her bliss is briefly interrupted when her dachshund Mickey goes missing. The illustrations are well conceived, and while the text is wordy, fans of this genre (illustrated-travelogue-diary-scrapbooks) won't mind.

(Copyright 2003 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

August 1, 2003
Gr 1-4-Using the popular diary format, this travelogue takes its spunky nine-year-old heroine and her dachshund from Manhattan to visit her great-aunt in Venice. They tour museums, shop for masks, ride a gondola, and observe a glassblower. Double-page watercolor-and-ink illustrations, as well as smaller framed "snapshots," are at once aesthetically pleasing and comical. Suspense is introduced when Zoe's dog disappears, but gondolier Ludovico saves the day in an endearing scene involving concerned faces stained with spaghetti al nero. The book offers bits of information, appealing characters, and a sense of the majesty and grandeur of Italy's palaces and piazzas; it will interest armchair and authentic travelers alike. Removing the dust jacket reveals a labeled map on the cover. Pair this title with Christina Bj rk's Vendela in Venice (R & S, 1999), Candace Fleming's Gabriella's Song (Atheneum, 1997), or the Classical Kids CD Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery for further insights into the city's charms.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2003
Gr. 1-4. In this picture book for older children, bright, nine-year-old Manhattanite Zoe Sophia and her dachshund travel to Italy for a week to visit with slightly bohemian Great-aunt Dorothy. Delightfully balancing colorful, cartoon images of bespectacled humans, their grinning pets, and such Venetian backdrops as the opera, with a nearly breathless commentary accurately reflecting the viewpoint of artistic Zoe, the authors have created a hit for Marissa Moss' fans that other youngsters will like as well. Strong female characters, fun with "real" art and artists (as in the page devoted to Chagall), a little bit of worry when the dog goes missing, and the pervading scent of gingersnaps make for a story that is both cheerful and substantial. Zoe Sophia is a charmer, and her trip to Venice unfolds with just enough adventure and information to satisfy her peers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)