In February 2005, my editor Lauri Hornik wrote me the following note:


I hopped right on the idea and created a story that, ultimately, didn't appeal.  After I filed that manuscript away, I tucked the idea into my subconscious and let it work.  A year later, the idea for Adventure Annie Goes to Work came to me in a flash, and I wrote the story of a rambunctious girl with a huge imagination who ends up at her Mommy's office.  Lauri liked what I had written and helped me to further shape the draft into the story of Annie Grace you read in this book.  Best of all, she chose the fabulously talented Amy Wummer to be the illustrator.  Amy captured Annie's energy so completely that she jumps off the page and into your heart.

"A strong mother-and-daughter story with an exuberant lead, this uplifting selection is full of everyday fun as well as being a nice depiction of the usefulness of organizational and map-making skills.  A winning choice for both classroom and home." ~ Kirkus 1-15-09

"The bright, full-color pencil and watercolor pictures are set against ample white space and show the warm relationship between mother and daughter.  This is an office adventure that children will want to experience and a heroine they'll love meeting." ~ Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI, School Library Journal 1-09

"The big, cartoon-style pencil-and-watercolor pictures show how Annie makes a treasure hunt out of the search for the folder. [Young kids] will identify with the intrepid kid who finds treasure where grown-ups are lost." ~ Hazel Rockman, Booklist 2-1-09

"With all her creativity and energy, Annie Grace has no trouble thinking up wild adventures on which to embark in the weekends with her mom.  But this particular Saturday is deifferent, because mom has to go into the office to search for a big report that got misplaced, and Annie needs to come along.  Not one to miss a beat, Adventure Annie quickly turns the office visit into a search for hidden treasure in the imaginary jungle (copy room) and mountainside (mail room).  Will she save the day and find the missing report? This entertaining book providces a good opportunity to talk with younger chlidren about the challenges, and rewards, that women in the workforce experience when they combine their paid jobs with raising children." ~  Yana Rodgers, Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children [reprinted in full with permission of the author]

"Every Saturday is Annie's adventure day. On this particular Saturday, there will not be any jungle adventure or mountaintop adventure. No, Mommy's important report is missing at work. Adventure Annie will have to don her cape and help her mother out at the office. Annie explores, creates a map, makes a mess and eventually find the important report. While it may not have been the author's intention to make this a single parent picture book, this is one of those hard to find picture books showing normal single parent households. A book that isn't strictly about a single mother and her child." ~Jackie Caverly, 2009x2010 [reprinted in full with permission of the author]

"Annie loves Saturdays because that is the day she dons her red cape and hopes for a grand adventure. But this Saturday she must accompany her mother to the office to look for a missing report. Her mother’s idea of adventure is for Annie to sit at her desk and color while mom hunts down the missing file. Undaunted, Annie sneaks down the hall, gathers appropriate supplies, and draws a map and begins a search of her own. She may not be the neatest or most organized treasure seeker but she is the most persistent, and that resolve pays off when she finds the missing folder under the copier. This delightful little romp through the office will appeal to kids who wonder what their parents do at work all day. The watercolor-and-pencil drawings are filled with lots of office bric-a-brac and it is hard not to cheer for Annie in her red cape and boots. Teachers will like her creative map-making skills and problem solving methodology. Kids will look forward to another adventure from Annie." ~ Beverley Fahey Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (reprinted in full with permission of the publisher)

"Annie is one of those irascible characters like Clementine or Eloise, or perhaps even a modern day version of Anne of Green Gables. She's a cute but mischievous little girl with wavy hair whose story would appeal to preschoolers up to about early second grade. There's a mom too, though no dad makes an appearance. The story takes place mostly at Mom's office but gives spunky Annie plenty of opportunity to display her curiosity, imagination, and tenaciousness in helping Mom find the missing report. Amy Wummer, the illustrator, gives Annie a very "adventurous" look – Annie is not a prissy girl by any means but a real-live hotwire! Wummer is also a frequent illustrator for Highlights magazine.

This would be a great acquisition especially for schools and preschools where there are many working or single moms.  With her super hero outfit and antics, it is even a story that boys enjoy hearing out loud, as well as one that "empowers" girls in imagining themselves as a super hero (albeit a silly one!). Hurrah for Adventure Annie! "~ Joanne Ladewig  (A.K.A. "Library Lady") Library Media Tech, Lawrence Elementary, GGUSD, Garden Grove, California (printed in full with the author’s permission).

Featured on Picture Book of the Day as a picture book to teach the trait of "Voice" in Six Traits classrooms.

Pick of the Decade 2000-2010: The Best Books For Children K-2. Woodbridge Public Library.