Synopses & Reviews
andlt;b andgt;If Hugo Hippo and Bella Bird are going to make it to their costume party, they simply must learn to agree! A bright and cheerful picture book about friendship and compromise.andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Hugo Hippo has a best bird. Bella Bird has a best hippo. They make a perfect pair, and they are going to the Fairy Tale Dress-Up party together, of course: Hugo will be the princess, and Bella will be the pea. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;No, wait: andlt;iandgt;Bellaandlt;/iandgt; will be the princess, and andlt;iandgt;Hugoandlt;/iandgt; will be the peaand#8230;.No, the first way. No, the second way. Wait, now, andlt;iandgt;which andlt;/iandgt;way? If these two pals canand#8217;t agree on who will be the pea, their party plan will fall to pieces. But when a couple of surprise compromises lead to a new costume solution, Hugo and Bella learn that sometimes it feels better to make someone else happy than to get your own wayand#8212;and that when it comes to friendship, theyand#8217;re two peas in a pod.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Hugo and Bella mirror real-life give-and-take: Hippos and birds have symbiotic relationships in nature!andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
andlt;Bandgt;I Donand#8217;t Want to Be a Pea! andlt;BRandgt; andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;iandgt;Ann Bonwill, illus. by Simon Rickerty. Sandamp;S/Atheneum, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4424-3614-5andlt;/iandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Hugo Hippo and Bella Bird may be symbiotic simpaticos, but the strong-willed duo canand#8217;t see eye to eye as the Hippo-Bird Fairy-Tale Fancy Dress Party approaches (they canand#8217;t even agree on the name of the event). Bella doesnand#8217;t want to be the pea in a joint Princess in the Pea costume, while Hugo has no interest in being the and#8220;gray and blobbyand#8221; rock to Bellaand#8217;s mermaid. Unable to come to terms, the pals harrumph to their separate quarters until a change of heart leads to a solutionand#8212;and proves that they really are two peas in a pod. Bonwill (Naughty Toes) peppers her gentle friendship story with bits of knowing humor (and#8220;But you are gray and blobby,and#8221; Bella says of the rock costume. and#8220;I will ignore that comment,and#8221; Hugo replies), giving the proceedings some energetic flair. Different fonts distinguish the two speakersand#8217; words, and Rickerty balances sweet and silly in his portraits, using simple shapes, forceful lines, and snazzy blocks of color to give the friends plenty of personality. Ages 2and#8211;6.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; --andlt;iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/iandgt;, December 19, 2011
Review
"The spare design, a fetching combination of inky black lines and blankets of saturated color, perfectly reflects the comical nature of the friendsand#8217; opposing perspectives. Rickerty has fun with colorand#8212;at one point Bella paints Hugo orange (to be Cinderellaand#8217;s pumpkin), and the next spread is a cheerful mess of orange hippo tracks and white Bella tracks. The copyright page shows a photograph of a bird and hippo together, a natural phenomenon no doubt inspiring Hugoand#8217;s opening line and#8220;All hippos have birds, and Bella is mine.and#8221; A satisfying story of hippo-bird, bird-hippo friendship."andlt;BRandgt; --andlt;iandgt;Kirkus Reviewsandlt;/iandgt;, December 1, 2011
Synopsis
From a cave in the forest
came a “MUNCH, MUNCH, CRUNCH!”
as Bear and his friends
all nibbled on their lunch.
Bear and his friends are munching on their lunch, when all of sudden…Bear feels something wiggling and wobbling in his mouth. Oh, no! What can it be? It’s Bear’s first loose tooth! In the first Bear book in three years, Bear’s friends ease his concerns about his wiggly, wobbly tooth and help him understand that losing a baby tooth is perfectly natural. This funny and reassuring story with rhyming text from Karma Wilson and charming illustrations from Jane Chapman is a delight for kids of any age.
Synopsis
If Hugo Hippo and Bella Bird are going to make it to their costume party, they simply must learn to agree A bright and cheerful picture book about friendship and compromise.
Hugo Hippo has a best bird. Bella Bird has a best hippo. They make a perfect pair, and they are going to the Fairy Tale Dress-Up party together, of course: Hugo will be the princess, and Bella will be the pea.
No, wait: Bella will be the princess, and Hugo will be the pea....No, the first way. No, the second way. Wait, now, which way? If these two pals can't agree on who will be the pea, their party plan will fall to pieces. But when a couple of surprise compromises lead to a new costume solution, Hugo and Bella learn that sometimes it feels better to make someone else happy than to get your own way--and that when it comes to friendship, they're two peas in a pod.
Hugo and Bella mirror real-life give-and-take: Hippos and birds have symbiotic relationships in nature
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Ann Bonwillandlt;/bandgt; grew up in Maryland, surrounded by books. She started writing stories as soon as she could hold a crayon. The author of andlt;i andgt;I Donand#8217;t Want to Be a Peaandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;i andgt;I Am Not a Copycat!andlt;/iandgt;, Ann has lived in many places, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Frankfurt, Germany. She now lives in Virginia with her husband, young son, and a crazy Welsh corgi dog named Arthur.Simon Rickerty wrote and illustrated andlt;i andgt;Crayon andlt;/iandgt;and andlt;iandgt;The Peanutandlt;/iandgt;, and he also illustrated andlt;iandgt;I Donand#8217;t Want to Be a Pea andlt;/iandgt;and andlt;iandgt;I Am Not a Copycat! andlt;/iandgt;He has a degree in art and design from the London College of Communication and earned a Masters Degree in illustration at the Royal College of Art. He lives in rural Bedfordshire, UK.