Reviews
By Kirkus Review
A fey piece of whimsy takes a lighthearted look at child labor. The village of Ear, nestled in the Your Valley, is famed for the excellence of its hand-er, foot-stomped grape juice. Into Ear is born Sixto, named because he has six toes on each foot. When Boss Nova Boombatz spies those extra toes, he quickly sees their possibilities and puts polite little Sixto (who would really rather play) to work as a grape stomper, building ever-bigger vats to nudge Sixto's efforts into the record books.
Potter has fun with the text, giving Boombatz a distinctly Mafioso air and dyeing Sixto and the other grape stompers a delicate shade of purple. All the characters wear her trademark old-people faces, giving all the Earians an appealingly ageless appearance. Madison's resolution is as silly as the premise itself: A deluge of juice, stomped by Sixto in an enormous cistern, floods the Your Valley, creating the Grape Lakes and sweeping Boombatz away. Kids will enjoy both Sixto's triumph and the overall goofiness of this small tall tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Review By Publishers Weekly
In the vine-fringed, semicircular village of Ear, famous for its 'scrumptious grape juice,' lives Sixto Poblano, a boy so named for having six toes on each foot. Sixto frequently goes barefoot: 'At the shoe store there was never a good fit, and when he ran he often tripped.' On the plus side, he excels at kickball, and during a game his powerful tootsies come to the attention of a juice magnate. Boss Nova Boombatz, a shady guy with a pencil mustache and porkpie hat, recruits Sixto for harvest time: 'We in Ear pick, pluck, and stomp — that is our sworn duty,' Boombatz says persuasively. Sixto reluctantly climbs into a wooden barrel of grapes and stomps 'once, then twice, and because his spare toes made his feet so worldly wide, all the juicy grapes were now grape juicy.' The other stompers are amazed: 'Two stomps? Unheard of!' In florid prose, Madison (Pecorino's First Concert) elevates Sixto to legendary status, and details the downfall of taskmaster Boombatz.
Potter (Sleeping Bobby), whose drily funny paintings emit a folklorish, Old World quality, may be the ideal illustrator for this book. She concentrates on Sixto's feet and pictures him up to his chest in grapes, wearing nothing but briefs, yet still implies his melancholic dignity. She brings a festive carnival air to the grape stomping rituals. The discomfiting combination of bare feet and 'deeeliciousss!' grape juice only adds to the flavor of this tall tale.
- Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Review By Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children
The make-believe village of Ear was renowned for its delicious grape juice. Every summer, all the women and men in Ear had the same job: they picked the luscious purple grapes that grew in the surrounding valley and stomped them into grape juice. At the head of this profitable venture stood big Boss Nova Boombatz, and given his stature and muscle, all the people dutifully picked and stomped without a fuss. But life in Ear changed when the Boss encountered a young boy with six toes on both feet, aptly named Sixto, who could not only boot the kickball farther than any other child, he could also stomp grapes with record-breaking agility. Boss Boombatz quickly thought up a plan that exploited Sixto’s extraordinary productivity. This plan would have led to quick riches were it not for Boombatz’s failure to account for Sixto’s happiness and desire to play.
What a way to add some fun and imagination into the business of teaching substantive lessons in economics about productivity, natural resources, and human resources. This truly unique book makes a valuable addition to any collection of high-quality children’s books. There is something about a boy with six toes on both feet who stomps grapes in his underpants that will have kids asking for The Littlest Grape Stomper again and again.