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CM . . .
. Volume XXI Number 32. . . .April 24, 2015
excerpt:
It is not fair! Pistachio has to babysit her annoying baby sister Penny on the very first day of summer vacation. She already has plans to explore a cavern with her friends. However, she must now take Penny to the park because her mother has to work.
The siblings’ adventure in the park begins badly as well. Penny wears her rabbit-ear hat and her Superman cape and manages to bring a wagon full of supplies including, “animals, plastic buckets, shovels, rakes”. Pistachio is embarrassed to meet her friends, Madeline and Chichi, on her way to the park since she will not be joining them on an adventure today. However, despite her initial reluctance to babysit sister Penny, Pistachio finds that she does have an exciting day at the park after all. The two sisters are accused of theft. Penny disappears, and Pistachio must save her from the “Oldtooth” Witch. They find a hidden treasure and almost get arrested! What new adventures will they have tomorrow? Young readers making the transition to chapter books will once again be thrilled to read about the adventures of intrepid Pistachio and her lovable little sister Penny. The text is easy to read, but challenging enough to engage young readers who will definitely be able to relate to the action in the story. Gay’s narration is full of dynamic descriptions: “Pistachio stands there, like a statue, her mouth open and her cheeks burning red.” (p. 23) The illustrations provide a great deal of interesting information for readers as well. Readers are able to see Pistachio’s frustration and anger, Penny’s enthusiasm and joy, and their mother’s love for her children. Who could not identify with an annoying little sister who is messy, demanding and endearing at the same time? How many times did readers have to babysit siblings when they wanted to be playing outside with their friends? Princess Pistachio and the Pest is the second book in Marie-Louise Gay’s “Pistachio” series which began with Princess Pistachio. Gay is the author/illustrator of over sixty books for children and has created many memorable characters. In 2013, she was awarded the Claude Aubry Award from IBBY Canada for distinguished service in children’s literature. This book can definitely be used as a read-aloud for early emergent readers while fluent readers can read it themselves. Young readers and their teachers or caregivers will enjoy discussing many interesting topics while reading Princess Pistachio and the Pest, including family relationships, personal responsibilities, friendships, legal issues and stereotypes. Highly Recommended. Myra Junyk, who lives in Toronto, ON, is a literacy advocate and author.
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Table of Contents for This Issue
- April 24, 2015. |
Pistachio Shoelace has a tremendous imagination and a craving for “adventures and freedom”. Unfortunately, her summer vacation plans begin badly. She has a nightmare about her teacher, and then she wakes up to find up that she must babysit Penny.