Lawn to Lawn. Dan Yaccarino. 2010. [January 2010] Random House. 40 pages.
"I can't wait to move to our new home!" said Pearl.
Betty, Flo, Norm, and Jack weren't so sure. They'd never even left the yawn before. But they all loved Pearl, and where she went, they wanted to go too.
I've enjoyed some of Dan Yaccarino's work in the past. (I loved Every Friday, and thought Go, Go America was just fun). But. I didn't care for this one. Not the art. Not the story. It just didn't work for me. Maybe it's a personal thing--a story about lawn ornaments and decorations that come to life and travel cross country may not creep out the average reader. You see, Betty, Flo, Norm, and Jack are lawn decorations. And Lawn to Lawn is like The Incredible Journey for lawn ornaments. These abandoned (and maybe abandoned for a reason*) objects want to make their way to Pearl and her new home. It requires you to a) easily suspend your disbelief and b) not be creeped out by the whole premise. I wasn't able to do either. But maybe you can.
*Perhaps Pearl's parents noticed their daughter acting strange and getting *too* cozy with the lawn art.
NOTE: I showed this one to my mom. She actually liked it. She thought it was funny. She was actually laughing out loud as she read it. So clearly, this book has the potential to please some readers out there!
© Becky Laney of Young Readers
