The One and Only Marigold by Florence Parry Heide

This picture book is actually four short stories in one. The first story is titled "Marigold's New Coat" and it is about a young girl monkey named Marigold. She has an old coat that she is very loyal to but her mother insists that it is time to buy a new one. She tries on a whole bunch of coats but only likes one that it too small for her. Her mom buys the coat but she still wears her old coat to bed since she is so loyal. The second story is titled "Marigold's New Hobby" which is making lists of things. She makes a list of her friends and the first one is her old coat and the second one is Maxine but Maxine is not happy that she is second on the list so Marigold takes her off and starts to make a new list of ways to bug Maxine. The third story is titled "Marigold's Special Surprise Treasure Stand" and it is about a stand with lots of things wrapped up but you can't find out what they are until you buy one. Marigold talks Maxine into buying four of them and each one is filled with something that is not useful such as dirt, grass, and wrappers. Marigold is happy because she has found a way to bug Maxine. The fourth and final story is titled "Marigold's New Dress" and it is about Marigold getting dressed for the first day of school. She can't find anything she wants to wear so she puts on her coat and tells Maxine that under her coat she has a new red dress with sequins and sparkles.

At first, I wasn't sure about the four separate stories. I thought the book was already short enough that it should have just been one story. But the author did a great job of intertwining all the stories. For example, in the second story Marigold starts to make a list of ways to bug Maxine and in the third story she has finally found a way to bug her. Marigold's coat is in every story and the pictures in all the stories include lists that Marigold has made, her new hobby.

I would say the illustrations in this book, done by Jill McElmurry, are geared toward younger kids. The way the characters are drawn are something that little kids would enjoy but not so much older kids. I do like how the illustrations include the lists that Marigold makes; it helps tie everything together and it is fun to read the illustrations. I would recommend this book to younger children, ages 2-6.