"Nothing can move me.
Not the wind.
Not time.
I don't go anywhere.
Everyone comes to me."
Just exactly what is Petra? Little ones will take great pleasure in trying to guess her identity. By watching the artwork, and hearing what she says about herself, the guesses might be even be wide-ranging. Cold, wet weather doesn't bother her, so long as she has her scarf. It appears she lived at the time of the dinosaurs. She even seems to have a small village perched atop her head. What is she?
She finally shares with her audience:
"I am strong.
I'm a fearsome, fearless,
mighty, magnificent mountain!"
True?
A series of wordless pages offers a different perspective. Will her confidence be compromised? No! She just rewrites her own story, again and then again. Never losing her certainty that she is something very special, Petra teaches a lesson that should sit well with each one of us.
We are what we are, and we should be happy with what change brings.
The story is carefully constructed in language sure to appeal to our youngest readers. Petra embodies adaptation, always with grace and charm. Ms. Coppo uses tempera, pastels and digital collage to create the emotional twists and turns in her story, always with slight changes in expression and eye movement. White space ensures that little ones understand the changes in size that occur, almost by magic.
Joyful and uplifting, this is a book that needs to be read out loud ... loud and proud. I can't wait to share it!
No comments:
Post a Comment