Where Oliver Fits, written and illustrated by Cale Atkinson, is a wonderful picture book about "fitting in." Oliver is a jigsaw puzzle piece who adjusts his shape and color in an effort to fit into various jigsaw puzzles - all unsuccessful, of course. He ultimately changes himself so much that he becomes unrecognizable. He fits in, but is unhappy. The ending is a happy one, and the message is great. It's also a good lead-in to a discussion about disabilities. The fun and colorful illustrations, made in Photoshop, will attract age-appropriate children. Definitely a great book for kids, parents, and classroom use.
Cinderella and the Furry Slippers is another "fractured folktale" retelling of a classic fairy tale by the pair of Davide Cali and illustrator Raphaëlle Barbanègre, who teamed up on Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs. Once again, Swiss-born Italian Davide Cali has written a slightly feminist take on the traditional tale with a twist at the end. French-Canadian artist Raphaëlle Barbanègre's colorful, whimsical, digitally-rendered illustrations add a lot to the story - especially the facial expressions! I could definitely see using this book in a second grade classroom in my state, where students are supposed to "compare different versions of the same story in traditional and contemporary folktales with respect to their characters, settings, and plot."
© Amanda Pape - 2017
[I received these hardbound editions from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. They will be added to the curriculum collection at my university library.]
No comments:
Post a Comment