Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
When Mortimer arrives at Sadie’s for dinner, it smells delicious. But when he finds that there is cauliflower in it, he refuses to eat any because he is convinced that cauliflower brings him bad luck. Still, when Sadie says that it is nonsense and has him taste some, he finishes four helpings. The next day, after a series of small accidents, he is sure the cauliflower is to blame. Nervous and upset, he fails his driving test. Sadie still says it is nonsense. Mortimer cooks dinner for her, enjoying the “vegetable surprise” casserole she has brought. The next day is wonderful for him. He can’t believe that there was cauliflower in the casserole. Sadie thinks she has changed his mind, until the last page.… Harris’s finely detailed pencil and watercolor illustrations add significantly to the visual tale. The anthropomorphic characters are engaging, including a participating mouse and other actors who are not in the text. Comic exaggeration adds to the artist’s inventiveness. Readers will smile at Mortimer’s superstition while perhaps learning to question their own. 2006, Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8.

Jessica Jordan (Children's Literature)
Sadie has made stew for her friend Mortimer but the stew has cauliflower in it. The superstitious Mortimer believes that if he eats cauliflower he will have bad luck the next day. Sadie convinces Mortimer to try the stew and he eats several helpings. The next day Mortimer is plagued by accidents. Later, Mortimer tells Sadie of his horrible day. Mortimer invites Sadie over for dinner the next day and she brings her vegetable surprise casserole. Mortimer eats several platefuls. The next morning, he wakes up feeling that it will be a good day . . . and he has a great day. After he tells Sadie about his amazing day, she informs him that there was cauliflower in her casserole the night before and convinces him that he had a bad day before because he was expecting to have one. Though totally convinced that superstitions are self-inflicted, Mortimer shows Sadie that he understands. The book’s bright and colorful watercolor illustrations will keep children’s attention. They depict the actions of the text, and the animated expressions of the characters add humor to the tale. The choice of animals for the characters--Mortimer as a koala and Sadie as an ostrich--also adds fun to the story since cauliflower is not the first food one thinks of when considering the eating habits of ostriches and koalas. The book is great for the classroom because it teaches children to think positively and not be pessimistic. 2006, Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 2))
A delightful tale about the mysterious relationship between food and fortune. Sadie, who's been cooking stew all day, invites Mortimer, a koala, to supper. The ingredients are banana skins ("Mmm," says Mortimer), coconut meat ("Yum yum," says Mortimer), and cauliflower-"Ack!" screams Mortimer. "I like the way it tastes," he explains, "It's just that whenever I eat cauliflower, I have bad luck the next day." Hunger and politeness temporarily beat superstition and Mortimer eats the delicious stew. But sure enough, the next day brings a run of bad luck worthy of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It's only Sadie's "vegetable surprise casserole" that can unseat the superstition: Mortimer eats it, has a lovely day and learns only later what its "secret" was. Astute readers will have gleefully guessed, of course. Spirited watercolor-and-pencil illustrations are full of movement and humor, and the text is freshly funny right up to the hilarious last line. 2006, Dial, 32p, $16.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 3 to 6. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Monica Irwin (The Lorgnette-Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 19, No. 3))
Mortimer is a koala bear. He has been invited over to his friend Sadie’s house for dinner. He thinks the stew she made smells terrific until he hears that it contains cauliflower. Cauliflower always gives him bad luck! Sadie thinks that is nonsense and talks Mortimer into eating the stew anyway. The next day, though, Mortimer has terrible luck. He stubs his toe, and then he fails the driver’s test. He even runs into the building in his car because he forgets to use the brakes. Mortimer invites Sadie to his house for dinner, and she brings a vegetable surprise dish which Mortimer thinks is delicious, and the next day he has a wonderful day. Everything goes well, and when he tells Sadie what a great day he has just had, she surprises him by telling him that he had cauliflower again. This story will be perfect to teach students about being superstitious and trying to have a good attitude. The artwork is delightful, and readers of all ages will thoroughly enjoy looking at all the detail in the brightly colored watercolor drawings. Fiction, Highly Recommended. Grades PreK-4. 2006, Dial, Unpaged., $16.99. Ages 3 to 10.