Novelist Ann Patchett and Fancy Nancy illustrator Robin Priess Glassier by a landslide. ( )

A Vote for Lambslide
Review of the Harper Collins Children's hardcover (2019)

I found out about Ann Patchett's emerging career as a children's picture book writer at her recent book tour for The Dutch House. While discussing the current adult novel, Patchett included a whirlwind listing of other writers and books which she had recently enjoyed. This included her new children's book projects on which she had been encouraged by artist Robin Preiss Glasser who is also the artist in this first book. Patchett has ideas for several other books to come and seemed to find inspiration from quirky everyday misunderstandings and mixups. Such is the case in this adorable barnyard story where a trio of lambs mishears talk of an election landslide and begin to campaign for a lambslide to be built on the farm.

This is a fun way to introduce the ideas of community agreement and compromise as well as the idea of democratic elections to children. The detailed drawings by artist Glasser are full of a lively colourful variety of main characters as well as background details to delight children of all ages. ( )

Award-winning adult novelist Ann Patchett tries her hand at children's literature with this debut picture-book, in which a group of lambs misunderstand the word "landslide," and decide they need a slide themselves. Their wise mother instructs them to gather the opinions of the other farm animals, and then to appeal to the Farmer family, and all goes well...

A sweet, lighthearted story from Patchett is paired here with adorable artwork from Robin Preiss Glasser, the illustrator of such favorites as Fancy Nancy, making Lambslide a pleasure to read. I think it may have been trying for something a little bit more - the opinion gathering, the community voting, it all had the feeling of a miniature civics lesson - but somehow the silliness of the whole thing prevented it from being overwhelmed by its didactic purpose. Not the most notable or accomplished picture-book I have read recently, it is still an interesting debut for Patchett. ( )

https://www.romper.com/p/ann-patchett-has-cracked-her-way-into-picture-books-exc....

The lambs may have misunderstood when they overheard the Farmers use the term "landslide," but they're running with it! Following their mother's advice, they talk to all the animals on the farm to find out if they have any objections and to gain their support, and then they get Nicolette Farmer to help them campaign to get their slide. ( )