Sweety is a sweety ... a naked mole rat with thick glasses, awkward dental gear, and a penchant for identifying fungi and doing school reports through interpretive dance. The interest in fungi is not shared by the other naked mole rats; she can't find anyone wanting to work with her on identification. While others describe their dolls in simple terms, Sweety has a much more descriptive and pointed answer when asked to describe her own:
"This is Warrior Princess Zorna!
Friend of the friendless, lover of
chocolate-beet cake with cream
cheese frosting! Her favorite color
is aubergine and my mom made
her for me!"
Readers soon see that Sweety has some quirks. It never causes her friends to shun her, or make disparaging remarks. It just shows that her grandmother might be right when she calls her 'a square peg'. Sweety is generally happy with who she is. Only occasionally does she wonder if she should change just a little to be more like Deb, one of the other young mole rats. Most of the time she is happy being the way she is.
Her Aunt Ruth, also a square peg, is just the visitor Sweety needs to boost her confidence and let her know that being herself is her best self. Sweety concurs. She gives herself license to wait and see if 'her people' are out there. Lo and behold!
"My name is Sandy.
Your shirt is wonderful!
I wouldn't mind having a
shirt with a mushroom on
it. I love mushrooms. My
favorite is a Gyromitra
esculenta. It looks like a
brain."
I cannot do justice to the quirky artwork. If you have seen other books by Andrea Zuill, you will know what I mean. Her characters warm your heart, The humor is understated but very appealing.
Every single spread is unique and detailed.
No comments:
Post a Comment