Sprout Helps Out by Rosie Winstead (review)

Little girl Sprout may be pint-sized but she’s “a BIG help.” Or is she? While the text portrays Sprout as her mother’s competent helper, the illustrations suggest otherwise. She brushes her own teeth without being told, yes, but also brushes the dog’s teeth—with her mother’s toothbrush. She uses band-aids to fix a lamp she broke and manages to flood the sink while doing dishes (requiring Mom to do a mop-up afterwards). In addition, the family cat almost takes a ride in the washing machine when Sprout tosses in the dirty laundry (under which the cat is hiding), and the put-upon feline narrowly escapes getting sucked up by the vacuum wielded by Sprout. Despite the chaos that spreads in her wake, though, “Sprout’s family is very lucky to have her, and they know it.” It’s hard to believe that many real mothers would be quite as cheerful and understanding about Sprout’s antics as her mother appears to be, but Sprout’s good intentions and clueless mischief make her a winning heroine nonetheless. Illustrative details are comical and genuine—the dog drinks from the baby’s discarded bottle, Sprout tosses a donut in the fish bowl for the goldfish’s “snack,” to the goldfish’s terror. The pencil, gouache, and watercolor paint pictures are thoughtfully composed but possess a casual, collage-like looseness that suits the storyline. There’s a slightly retro look to the frilly socks and Mary Janes that Sprout sports and to her comma-shaped eyes and whimsical hair, while other details (such as the juice pouches) provide modernity. Since literature is a great way of finding perspective on one’s own challenges, families with their own mess-prone “Sprouts” are a likely audience here.