GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof.
Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude. Thoughtfully taps our natural capacity for empathy and kindness in caring for all creatures and our planet. Human characters have tan or brown skin and dark hair with various textures one child uses a wheelchair. Comprehensive aftermatter details pangolin facts, practical action items, and resources for all ages. Case in point is Ai’s name, which can be: the (Mandarin) Chinese word for love a homonym for eye-the shining feature on most spreads suggesting windows to these animals’ souls a homonym for the English first-person pronoun demonstrating everyone’s potential to make a difference. Complementary verbal and visual narratives are compelling in their sophisticated simplicity, which offers layers of meaning, teaching moments, and opportunities for reflection. The atmospheric artwork defines a lush nocturnal habitat and its diverse occupants, including Pangolina’s friends Bat, wild pigs, and “wise Civet.” It’s Civet who dissects the visceral realities of animal trafficking while delving into emotional complexities that reveal the interconnectedness between animals and humans.
A quick plot exposes facts of life for endangered species in the wild using clear, logical, and sympathetic language accessible to the youngest readers. Textured illustrations detail the pangolins’ scales-plus-hair appearance, engaging readers with expressive eyes whose sparkle also resonates with Ai, a girl who later saves Pangolina following her capture by an animal trafficker. Pangolina lives with her mother in a burrow. A pangolin advocates for wildlife conservation through her own tale of survival and hope.
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