Daisy's Defining Day

Gr 2–4—Daisy loves singing loudly, making cookies, and, most of all, learning words. She does not love the new nickname bestowed upon her by her friend's younger brother, because "Lazy Daisy" belies her determined, life-loving attitude. She decides to invent a new nickname for herself and settles on "Dynamite Dramatic Determined Dazzling Daisy." While she loves her snazzy new moniker, no one else can remember it. Rather than having to spew out that long string of adjectives, her friends start talking to her less, which means that Daisy misses out on some things. To top it off, her friend's younger brother still calls her "Lazy Daisy." In the end, she uses a bit of reverse psychology on him to banish the unwanted nickname, and their interaction spurs Daisy to think of a new nickname that is just right. Short chapters, a large font, generous line spacing, and ample illustrations make this book a good choice for readers who are just starting to tackle chapter books. Cheerful line drawings that depict rosy-cheeked characters and Daisy's word lists are nice touches. Readers may wonder why Daisy doesn't just ask the boy not to call her "Lazy Daisy," but her resulting journey of self-discovery is something children will relate to. Short and sweet, yet somewhat forgettable.—Amy Holland, Irondequoit Public Library, NY