A Present for Mrs. Kazinski

Sylvia Pantaleo is an assistant professor of education specializing in
children’s literature at the University of Victoria. She is the
co-author of Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary
Classroom.

Many people live in the rickety rooming house on Grant Street, including
Mrs. Kazinski, who rents the attic, and a boy named Frank and his
mother, who rent the kitchen and back bedrooms. Frank and Mrs. Kazinski
are best friends and they spend a lot of time together sipping tea with
milk, looking at Mrs. Kazinski’s photograph albums, and going to the
movies on Saturday. Frank wants to get Mrs. Kazinski the “best present
in the world” for her 80th birthday. Other tenants in the rooming
house offer suggestions, but Frank thinks that none of their ideas are
good enough for Mrs. Kazinski. On the morning of her birthday, Frank
discovers a stray kitten and decides it will be the perfect gift for
Mrs. Kazinski. Frank plays with the kitten all afternoon but when it is
time to go up to the attic to the party, Frank is reluctant to give up
the kitten. He does relinquish the small feline, however, and Mrs.
Kazinski is thrilled with the present. Seeing her appreciation, Frank
realizes that the best presents are given in love and friendship.

Reynolds’s charming story communicates the importance of friendship.
A young boy’s sincerity and genuine interest in his elderly friend are
conveyed authentically, without sentimentality. The artwork, richly hued
and rendered in woodblock prints, portrays the active and daily life of
several characters in a manner that complements the story. Highly
recommended.