Colette's Lost Pet - Hardcover

Arsenault, Isabelle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0553536591 ISBN 13: 9780553536591

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2017

Synopsis

Colette can't find something to talk about with the new kids in the neighborhood...so she invents a pet! Her fib quickly escalates, and suddenly her parakeet is a larger-than-life world-traveler named Marie Antoinette. Have her new friends figured out her secret? What will they do?

This charming story both clearly identifies the struggle of navigating a different experience, and demonstrates to kids a lovely and welcoming way to treat someone new in their community.

About this title

About the Author

ISABELLE ARSENAULT studied Graphic Design at the Université du Québec à Montréal. She has won the prestigious Governor General's Award for Children's Literature three times, along with many other awards and distinctions. Two of her picture books were named as New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year. She lives and works in Montreal.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2—Colette has just moved, and, worse, she has been told emphatically that she can't have a pet. When she unexpectedly meets two boys from her new neighborhood and is unsure what to say to them, she invents a story, shyly telling them that she is searching for her lost parakeet. The boys suggest borrowing Lily's binoculars; Lily, in turn, leads the kids to Scott's bird feeder; Scott directs the group to a fountain in Maya's yard; Maya has just spotted Beth's cat nearby; and Beth enlists the help of Lukas to make posters of the parakeet. With each stop through the neighborhood, Colette contrives new details about her missing bird, which build to an over-the-top account of their worldwide adventures together. Rather than calling her out on her obviously made-up tale, however, the kids play along, peppering Colette with questions, and in the end, they invite her to come back the next day and tell some more stories. The neighborhood kids are kind and willing to come to Colette's aid, but it doesn't quite make sense that they would all be charmed rather than annoyed at being duped. Arsenault uses sequential panels to tell the story, and the entire narrative is related in speech balloons. Rendered in pencil, watercolor, and ink, the soft, sometimes smudgy illustrations are rich with texture and evoke a gentle, retro feel. While the art is largely composed in black, white, and gray, Colette stands out in her yellow-hooded coat, and splashes of yellow and pale blue, added digitally, are used to highlight the children's imaginative play. VERDICT An additional selection where books about creative play and making new friends are needed.—Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Elkins Park, PA

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0553536591
• ISBN 13: 9780553536591
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 48