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Schmid, Paul
7 Reviews
(3)
PS
"Of what do little bears dream?" A spare narrative running across a blue-and-white snowy landscape--where a wee polar bear dwells--proposes a variety of answers that introduce opposites (e.g., "Big love... / small friends"). Schmid supplies well-chosen visual incongruities (a slice of pizza in the Arctic; a black mustache on a bear) to reflect the befuddling nature of dreams.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(3)
PS
Young Oliver imagines that a rock is an egg that contains a new friend. The little boy and his dinosaurlike, orange-polka-dot creature have grand adventures and eventually invite Oliver's friends to join them. The spare, declarative text is paired with pastel-pencil, digitally colored illustrations with soft lines and a pale palette that infuse the story with a daydreamy quality.
Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot
(3)
K-3
Oliver, anxious about school, brings an alligator along "just in case..." When things do get rough, the alligator snaps up the teacher and the other students. Hearing laughter and chatter from inside its belly inspires Oliver to rejoin the class. Pastel-pencil drawings in muted mint-green and lilac tones gently bring to life Oliver's nerves while lending levity to this common childhood fear.
Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden
(3)
PS
Porcupine Percy adores balloons but keeps accidentally popping them with his quills. Many pages are devoted to his efforts to think up a solution ("He thought things all the day. / He thought thoughts through the night"); that this is engrossing is a testament to Schmid's engaging illustrations and his understanding that calm invites empathy.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(4)
K-3
Petunia (a human) eats off the floor and roars at passersby. When her parents decide that she needs to act human, animalistic Petunia plots an escape--then she realizes humanity has its perks. The humorous build-up is weakened by an abrupt, trite ending, but the bold line drawings with touches of purple and orange stand out for their adept simplicity.
Reviewer: Siena Leslie
(3)
K-3
Petunia has a toy skunk, but she "wants, wants, wants!" a real one. Despite her promises that she'll feed and walk it, her parents refuse. Miffed, she leaves home, and in some nearby woods encounters a skunk--and "A humongous stink!" Schmid's take on the kid-craves-a-pet tale is amusing, and his spare drawings, punctuated with purple and occasional dashes of orangey-brown, are eye-catching.
Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger
(3)
K-3
Sweet-natured porcupine Pearl is a hugger. Because her classmates don't like to feel "ouchy," she makes several attempts to solve her prickly problem. Her ultimate solution is obvious but effective. Schmid's confiding, understated narration ("Pearl was perhaps a little discouraged") prevails. Pearl's quills are further softened by the unfussy illustrations' diluted-pastel-color backdrops.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
7 reviews
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