Can You See Her?

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

“Hooray!! It is clear. Summer is here. Suzy and her brother Bobby are
outside. The sun is very bright! Daisy, their little doggie, is there
also. CAN YOU SEE HER? School is out! Let’s give a shout! YEAH!!
YEAH!! Suzy and her brother are saying good-bye to their friends. Daisy,
their little doggie, is there also. CAN YOU SEE HER? ... IT IS A GOOD
DAY! Susy and her brother Bobby are playing. Suzy is playing with her
doll. Bobby is playing with his ball. Daisy, their little doggie, is
there also. CAN YOU SEE HER? EVERYBODY IS HAPPY. ARE YOU HAPPY?”

The above passage comprises three pages’ worth of text from this
homespun picture book. The rest of the plot is pretty much more of the
same. Suzy has a doll. Paul has a ball. Suzy loses her doll. Paul loses
his ball. Both doll and ball are found and everybody is happy. All the
while, Daisy the semi-transparent dog sort-of blends into the background
in a halfhearted attempt to hide. Both the text and the illustrations
have a certain amateurish charm, but the charm quickly wears thin as the
reader waits for something interesting to happen. Not a first-choice
purchase.