"We keep staring at each other, the scab and me.
I worried as it began to look more and more scary.
Hideous scab.
I was afraid it would stay forever."
I am a big fan of Beatrice Alemagna's work; I like her quirky sense of humor and the interesting stories she tells. The narrator for this is a young girl. Readers quickly learn that she has taken a fall in the street; the result is blood dripping down her leg and an assurance from her father as he cleans it up that she is going to have 'a beautiful scab'. She is not at all convinced of its beauty. Instead, she thinks it looks much like a hamburger.
Her mom says it won't take long until it has disappeared. In fact, that is an untruth. The scab goes nowhere. Will it stay forever? Mom agrees that it is big, puts some cream on it, and repeats her assertion that it will fall off. Days pass, the scab remains. Other kids do not have the same issues with their scabs.
Because of their time spent together, the scab is named Pepper. The day comes when Pepper actually talks to the girl. Pepper explains it will a wait before she is gone, and complains about the name she has been given. A visit to her grandparents brings no sympathy. Just when the girl finally gets used to having the scab as a companion, Pepper begins to change. She is softer and smaller. The two remain content to be together.
"I began telling Pepper stories ... like about the day I got lost
in the forest, about my fear of spiders, about my dream to visit
Japan and also have a dog of my own."
One day, Pepper is gone! Where? All that is left is a smooth spot on her knee, and memories.
The gouache, oil, collage, and wax pencil artwork is excepetional. Always interesting, holding wide appeal, and telling.
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