Don't Call Me Pruneface!

Paul is a good boy. Everybody says so.  But  his new neighbor is enough to try anyone’s patience. She walks her cat on a leash, calls Paul and his dog mean names, and makes a general nuisance of herself.  Will the mild-mannered Paul survive the first week next door to Prudence?

 

Debut picture book author Janet Reed Ahearn and illustrator Drazen Kozjan use humor and style to show the classy approach to confronting one's peers. Loaded with color, feisty energy, and lots of good jokes, Don’t Call Me Pruneface! will teach kids how to deal with bullies even as it entertains. 

Gr 1-3–Paul is a good boy. Even he says so. That goodness is challenged when Prudence moves in next door, and Paul's friendly overtures are greeted with increasingly nasty name-calling. He attempts to discuss the situation with his grandmother, but her cryptic responses (“You catch more flies with honey,” “Let a smile be your umbrella,” etc.) do nothing to alleviate the situation. Finally Paul cracks and gives Prudence a dose of her own medicine, resorting to calling her “Pruneface.” This one rather mild insult causes an abrupt transformation. The next day, Prudence and Paul are great chums, walking each other's pets and chatting happily. The message here is distinctly problematic. Readers see that first impressions are not always correct and friendships often take time to cultivate. However, no explanation is ever offered as to why Prudence is so mean in the first place, and her total turnabout is unrealistic to say the least. While the book offers flashed of humor, and Kozjan's illustrations are attractive, the troublesome message makes this a marginal purchase.Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
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