Two Peas in a Pod - Hardcover

McKimmie, Chris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1742373046 ISBN 13: 9781742373041

Publisher: Allen & Unwin, 2010

Synopsis

From the author of Brian Banana Duck Sunshine Yellow and Special Kev, a story celebrating the power of childhood friendships, and the resilience of those friendships when faced with separation

Violet calls me Marvellous.
My real name is Marvin.
Mum reckons me and Violet are like two peas in a pod. It's true. We go together like fish and chips, hops and skips, the OO in Moo.
We lived next door to each other until, one day, Violet left and went to the moon.

Marvin and Violet have been friends since they were babies. They are like two peas in a pod—but then Violet moves away. The friends learn to deal with their aloneness and to enjoy being individuals in this story of friendship that is both tender and truthful.

About this title

About the Author

Chris McKimmie is the author, illustrator, and designer of Brian Banana Duck Sunshine Yellow, Maisie Moo and Invisible Lucy, and Special Kev.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–3—Violet and Marvin (aka Marvellous) believe they have been best friends since dinosaurs were around (almost). They play in one another's yards and visit the park together. While cloud-watching Marvin can only see cauliflower shapes, Violet can see "cottonwood castles and marshmallow kingdoms." When her family moves away, Marvin's world is vast and empty, and he wonders, "What about me?" One day his mum surprises him with a plane ticket to visit Violet. They fly kites at the beach and cloud watch; now Marvellous sees a variety of happy and imaginative images: "sailing ships...marshmallow dinosaurs, ice-cream pillows." He returns home feeling lonely all over again, but glad to see his family. Metaphors about moving on and change while still trying to embrace a close friendship may not be easy for children to interpret without adult help. At times the childlike text is choppy, and youngsters may find the Australian vernacular confusing. An adult interjection, for example, is about watching The Bold and the Beautiful and a "chook" is a cat. The mixed-media illustrations vary from sad to joyful and from simple to cluttered. Libby Gleeson's Half a World Away (Scholastic, 2007) is a better choice.—Anne Beier, Clifton Public Library, NJ
(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Allen & Unwin
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1742373046
• ISBN 13: 9781742373041
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: McKimmie Chris