Unlock Now Pete & Pickles By Berkeley Breathed Available As Paperback
and yes, I did read it to my children
Pete amp Pickles is the story of a lonely, widower pig and an exuberant, outgoing elephant that escaped from a circus.
According to the back flap, it was inspired from a drawing that Breathed's fiveyear old made in a restaurant, She drew an elephant hugging a pig in its trunk,
Breathed asked why the elephant is holding the pig,
"The pig's sad, "
"Why"
"Because he's lonely, Dad, . . But he doesn't know it," she whispered,
Pete is indeed lonely, He misses his wife who has died, Pickles comes into his life unexpectedly and turns it all over and, in a way, saves it, Or, at least makes it worth living,
I cannot imagine the adult that does not tear up at the end of this book I've got no qualms with it thisyear old Republican darn near cried!.
On top of a great story you've got great pictures, The art is topnotch. Careful observation will show you that Breathed previews most of the book with the art on the walls of Pete's house, It's something fun to go back and look at with the kids,
As for those reviewers that claim that this is inappropriate for kids, I say, "Phhphhtt!", . .
Read more at: sitelink blogspot. com Pete amp Pickles Berkeley Breathed It's marvelous, but the pigandelephant friend territory sort of seems like Mo Willem's, Love the dust jacket showing the daughter's original sketch, Moral: Even elephants can be manic pixies!
Library copy
Something about this book is just beyond beautiful, All about noticing what someone else needs and stepping up to provide it, But also not serious at all silly, delightful, full of joy, Quickly moved to the top of my favourite picture book pile!
This book created by Berkeley Breathed has many themes I like to address through picture books: courage, friendship, and diversity.
But it is also about love, It celebrates love in the happiest and most joyful of ways, But it doesn't scrimp on the realities of love: loss, pain, frustration, forgivesnss, sacrifice, Love is all of it and this book delivers, It takes you on a journey sailing through a myriad of emotions and delivers you on the other side, changed, Better. Brighter. Exhausted. I have read this book now multiple times and it is as lovely shared as it is in a solo reading, It insists on repeated readings, It is a book I had to instantly own so I could revisit it anytime I wanted, I LOVE this book. Pete amp Pickles reminds us that relationships are the antidote to loneliness, And sometimes they arrive in your life in the strangest of ways,
SO CUTE!! Got it in today at PPLD and it's adorable, Best for ages, really cool illustrations and some themes/humor that only adults will pick up on, Highly highly recommended. Berkeley Breathed teaches us an important lesson about our lives how it is, what we think it is, and how it should be.
Pete is a practical pig who has it all figured out, A perfect life on his own, He thinks his life is quite grand and goes day by day being practically perfect, Until, he meets Pickles. Pete does not think he needs Pickles in his life, Pickles adds a bit of sparkle and spunk to Pete's mundane and routine day to day, This causes Pete to become quite furious when he notices how much chaos Pickles is really creating in his schedule, But what happens next will come as a surprise to both Pete and the readers of the book,
This picture book inspires us to let go and let live, Sometimes, we think we know what is best for ourselves, . but maybe we just do not know any better, I think we all need a little sparkle in our lives, don't we Quirky, humorous and endearing, A pig and a runaway circus elephant become unlikely friends, Unusually fun illustrations integral to the story, which many titles seem to be moving away from, This is an entertaining, but very odd tale about friendship and companionship, grief and healing, The narrative is fairly short and still appropriate for younger children,
The illustrations are marvelous and really reminded me of sitelinkBerkeley Breathed's genius in his sitelinkBloom County series,
Overall, we loved the relationship between Pete and Pickles and we loved the art references, There are so many details that I picked up the second time I read this book that I missed on the first goaround.
We really enjoyed reading this book together, There is no substitute for true friendship and a great imagination, Students will be able to make an instant connection with the text as friends always use their imagination while playing to transport themselves into another time or world.
A wonderful conversation may root from the reading of this book regarding friendship development from interacting with someone, One of my favorite picture books, Pete and Pickles is a story of friendship and appreciating the differences our friends bring to our lives.
I love that the idea grew from a sketch by Berkeley Breathed's daughter who, when asked why the elephant is holding the pig in the sketch, said "The pig's sad.
" "Why" "Because he's lonely, Dad, . . But he doesn't know it, "
While some may feel there's too much 'dark' in the book to make it appropriate for children, I"m one who believes our children are capable of making much deeper connections than we think and understanding complicated issues in a way appropriate for their ages.
I love the message that we can change our opinions of people and that we take care of
those we love.
I love that Pete learns to appreciate the craziness Pickles brings to his life, I love the illustrations and the messages they send, I love this book. A decidedly quirky book about an unusual friendship, which had me chuckling by the second page, I've long loved Berke Breathed's Bloom County comic strip, though I missed the Outland boat, I didn't know he wrote picture books in the earlys, and I'm glad I found that out, This is a powerful story about change and finding friendship and love after tragedy, It's a quintessential crazygirlstirsuptheproperwoundedman story, but the conventionality serves all the more to contrast the twists of plot and character that Breathed concocts.
Ponderous illustrationssymbolically strong color and shades of dark and light, With this and Mars Needs Moms, Breathed raises the stakes in his picture books to the lifeanddeath levels of original fairy tales, Because he's lonely, Dad . But he doesn't know it, "
I think that's true of a great many people,
I read this to my daughters the night before last, We review maybe a third of the books we read together, I always try to make time to review the ones I really love,
The pictures in this are stunning, Surreal dreamlike. I felt like I was reading a children's book by a Salvador Dali, George Orwell, Roald Dahl, Bill Watterson, Banksy, and, . . I don't know all my favorites.
I couldn't catch all the influences only the most intentional ones:
Hokusai's "The Great Wave", for instance:
Or Edward Hopper's Nighthawks
Some of the most moving characteristics of the book are found on the fringes not hidden, exactly but not broadcast either.
Paprika's grave, and then reminders of Paprika scattered throughout the pictures, the blanket that is now covering Pickles, Loneliness comes in many forms, and maybe there is a loss that is always with us,
The book both the story and the art traverse light and dark, At times very dark for a book written for children, But it was beautiful. And I think the kids can handle it, .