Day: May 23, 2013

Review: Perfectly Percy by Paul Schmid

| Tasha

perfectly percy

Perfectly Percy by Paul Schmid

Percy is a porcupine and one of his favorite things of all are balloons!  But it’s hard when you are a prickly porcupine, balloons don’t last long at all.  So Percy decides to figure out how he can solve the problem with balloons.  He thinks and thinks, but no good ideas come to him.  He tries hanging upside down, riding his tricycle, but nothing.  It’s not until he’s having breakfast that suddenly he has an amazing, incredible idea!

Schmid’s story is quite simple, focused on one little porcupine’s problem with balloons and how he solves it.  I appreciate a picture book that gives so many pages over to coming up with a solution and just thinking and thinking.  It makes for a thoughtful and quiet book.  Best of all, Percy comes up with the solution all on his own with no adult help. 

The illustrations here have a wonderful feel to them.  Done in simple lines with pastel backgrounds, Percy shines.  Throughout the book has a cheery feel, one never doubts that Percy will find a solution to his problem.  Once that solution is found, the cheer turns to sheer joy and delight.  That is one merry porcupine. 

Thoughtful and empowering, this book stays jolly as well.  Percy would be a perfect addition to story times.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Harper Collins.

Review: Windblown by Édouard Manceau

| Tasha

windblown

Windblown by Édouard Manceau

Scraps of paper blow across the page, first one then several appear.  But what are they and whose are they?  First the chicken insists they are his since he found them.  Then the fish says that he cut them from the paper.  Then the bird, the snail and the frog explain that they are theirs as well.  Each animal fits them to their body to demonstrate why they belong to them.  Then the wind itself speaks about blowing the pieces around and offers them to the reader, “What will you do?” 

Superbly simple and entirely engaging, readers will be playing along with the book before they even open the pages.  Manceau has cleverly selected shapes that fit together in many different ways.  He demonstrates this over and over again, then turns it all over to the reader to continue. 

This is also a book that would make a great art project for little ones.  Share the book, then give each child the pieces shown in the story to make their own picture.  An ideal way to end a creative story time.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.