 Pomelo, the petite pink pachyderm, packs his knapsack with his toothbrush, pumpkin seeds, a world map, a good book, his courage, and other useful and silly necessities for the road. He ties a ribbon to a stone and tosses it to determine the direction he will travel. He passes through mythic landscapes, gets swindled by a fast-talking rat, shares a sausage with Papamelo, builds a boat, and sails to a land where he befriends a starfish. Bright, lively, oversized cartoon artwork depicts the surreal landscapes in Pomelo’s big, wide world. This story about Pomelo’s curiosity, courage, and fortitude is number four in the “Pomelo the Garden Elephant” series. mjw |
| Title: Pomelo’s Big Adventure Author: Ramona Badescu Illustrator: Benjamin Chaud Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books Copyright: 2014 Original language: French Translator: Claudia Bedrick Original title: Pomelo et la grande aventure Original publisher: Albin Michel Jeunesse Original copyright: 2012 ISBN: 978-1-59270-158-2 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture book Author’s ethnicity: Romanian Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: France Subjects: Animals, Adventure, Elephants, France, Self-reliance, Western Europe |
Pomelo’s Big Adventure
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German eighth grader, Mike Klingenberg, is a boring kid with no friends. He is left alone for two weeks while his mother is in rehab and his father is away on a “business trip” with his attractive secretary. Andrej Tschichatschow, aka Tschick, is a Russian immigrant, the new kid in school, and also not popular. When Tschick shows up in a stolen beat-up Soviet-era car, the boys head out of Berlin on a road trip adventure across Germany. They have no map, no cell phone, and no plan. They meet some bizarre characters, dodge the police, and travel the autobahn. This is an insightful, exuberant, and highly engaging coming of age novel. mjw
Nine-year-old Sophie accompanies her dad, the captain of an ice breaker, on a month-long journey to Mawson Station in Antarctica. Her diary is packed with facts about the South Pole’s early explorers, Antarctic animals, and life in an Antarctic research station. Endpapers with detailed maps; photographs of icebergs and sunsets; diagrams of the ship; and student paintings from Kids Antarctic Art, a traveling exhibition of children’s interpretations of the continent, reveal the wonder of Antarctica through a little girls eyes. A glossary is included. This book is based on the author’s own six-week excursion on the Aurora Australis. mjw
Peggy is a happy suburban hen. She eats breakfast, plays on her trampoline, and watches pigeons in her sunflower-filled yard until a gust of wind sends her to a bustling city far from home. She picks herself up, walks amid umbrella-holding pedestrians, and makes new discoveries in the city. However she becomes homesick when she sees a girl carrying a sunflower. She hopefully follows the girl onto a train, which does not get her home. She then spies some pigeons and follows them back home, where she eats her breakfast, plays on her trampoline, chats with the pigeons, and sometimes catches the train to the city. Clever ink, watercolor, and photo collage illustrations with detailed local Melbourne landmarks complement the quiet, delightful text. mjw
Parisian eight-year-old Ronnie, short for Myron, visits his grandparents and rowdy older cousins in England, while his parents move apartments. It is his first vacation away from his mama. There is a competition to see who can shower the least, a wild bike ride without helmets, the family tradition of jumping off the ten-foot diving board, and the shame of having his bathing suit slip off in the pool. This touching, funny story of Ronnie’s growth from timid mama’s boy to confidence and independence is written in journal format with energetic, expressive watercolor images. mjw
When Stanley Potts’s Uncle Ernie, who cans pilchards, sardines, and mackerel in the living room, tins Stanley’s beloved goldfish, Stanley decides to leave home. He joins a traveling carnival of wacky characters and gets a job washing plastic ducks for the “Hook A Duck” master, Mr. Dostoyevsky. He meets Pancho Pirelli, who swims with piranhas and believes that Stanley could be his successor. Wonderful and quirky things happen to “good and true” Stanley as he seeks his own way. Stylized cartoon drawings add humor. mjw
While on an expedition to the Himalayas, aristocratic young Lady Agatha Farlingham is kidnapped by a yeti father and his family. She stays to teach the kindly yeti English speech, good manners, and fairytales. Decades later, she transports the yetis back to her ancestral home in England for safety. They journey through Asia and Europe, liberate a zoo, save Alpine rescue dogs, and interrupt a Spanish bullfight. Upon arrival to England, the yetis are met by hateful Abominable snowman hunters. But, British school children and royalty save the day in this whimsical story with its message of human rights and environmentalism. mjw
In this cautionary ecological parable, best friends Hulda and Brimir, live on a beautiful, tranquil blue planet that is inhabited by children who never grow old. One day, a grown-up, Gleesome Goodday, “Dream Come True Maker and joy bringer,” crashes his spaceship on the beach. He sprinkles all the children with sun-activated fly powder, nails the sun in the sky so it can always be play time, and charges them a bit of their youth. When the children fly to the other side of the planet and see sickly, pale, dying children, they realize the Goodday is not all that he seems. mjw
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