![]() ![]() I won’t give it away - I’ll just say pay careful attention to the clues that Small’s background details give you.įrom my librarian perspective, I’ll also say hooray for Elliot’s trip to the library for research on his penguin, and thanks, because this is a book that could lead some curious kids to read more - haul out those copies of Mr. ![]() One Cool Friend is a book about kids and unusual pets in the tradition of Steven Kellogg’s Can I Keep Him? Elliot’s creative attempts to keep his pet happy and fed, while keeping “Magellan” secret from his very studious, pre-occupied father culminates in a great surprise ending. To me the illustrations have a gentle graphic novel feeling, especially in the treatment of the tongue-in-cheek dialogue. ![]() David Small’s illustrations are delightful pen and ink with dashes of color that convey action and move the eye around the pages to the rich details. She relies on readers’ shared experiences (“Elliot emptied the school notices from his backpack”) and her ability to call forth their own “what-if?” imaginings. Toni Buzzeo’s spare text doesn’t waste a word. This wonderfully silly tale of a very proper young boy named Elliot and his surreptitious acquisition of a pet penguin is a perfect blend of text and illustrations. Oh, my! I just finished reading the just-published One Cool Friend by Maine’s own Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist David Small. ![]()
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