Description: What could be the secret to spreading some love and mercy on a cold, gray February day? Mercy Watson creators Kate DiCamillo and Chris Van Dusen reunite to make a warm and toasty holiday classic boasting a special press-out valentine.
It's Valentine's Day and Stella Endicott is feeling dreary. But when she delivers a valentine to Mercy Watson's house, Mrs. Watson invites her in to join them in making heart-shaped toast (with a great deal of butter, cinnamon, and sugar). On her way home, Stella bumps into the mail carrier Norman Fenzer, who says his heart is as heavy as a mailbag full of valentines that are never for him. As the sounds of Eugenia Lincoln's mournful accordion waft through the trees, Stella suddenly gets an idea--a surefire way she can lift her friends' hearts, and her own. Whether they are longtime fans or first-time visitors to Mercy Watson's world, readers will feel their own spirits lighten as they follow a beloved cast of characters through the streets of Gizzford in this pitch-perfect picture-book valentine.Review Quotes: With rich and well-crafted vocabulary, the lush narrative is absorbing, tiptoeing close to--but not quite slipping into--sentimentality. . . . Van Dusen's distinctive candy-colored illustrations are as sweet as cinnamon-sugar. He alternates between vignettes and full-bleed spreads, each drawing the eye towards the retro, caricature-style faces with glowing cheeks. Light is particularly well used. . . . A toasty warm treat.
--Kirkus Reviews
--Booklist