book
Unique Monique: Moki Time
by Corinne Tyler Isaak '92, Karen A. Cooper,and Don Nutt :: Moki Time, L.L.C. :: Reviewed by George Bedirian
Young readers of Unique Monique: Moki Time, by Corinne Tyler Isaak '92, Karen A. Cooper, and illustrator Don Nutt will scarcely notice that they're learning to tell time and acquire new words, as they follow five-year-old Monique—or Moki—through her day on the family farm.
From the moment she rises at 7 a.m. until bedtime 12 hours later, Moki revels in the simplest and most immediate of pleasures. A mock talent show. A picnic on the lawn. Flying "Mama's" kite. Daydreaming in the hayloft. Playing dress-up. The role of imagination is important here—and it's handled so deftly that adults will scarcely notice how deeply rooted this book is in the traditional values of family, place, and the unfettered imagination of childhood.
The illustrations reinforce the book's homespun appeal. Rendered in watercolors and edged with decorative borders that bleed off all sides of the square-format pages, they could well serve as patches in a country quilt.