1/19/2024 0 Comments Morris micklewhite![]() The final page unites the characters from earlier pages with a reassuring message for readers: “Just because the sun has set, / doesn’t mean it will not rise. Perhaps, after studying the illustrations and gaining further insight into the comments, kids will reread and reflect upon them further. ![]() ![]() The artwork effectively brings to life the succinct, rhyming text and will help readers make sense of it. “Just because you’re nice, / doesn’t mean you can’t get mean” depicts the older one berating the younger one for tracking mud into the house. “Just because I’m dirty, / doesn’t mean I can’t get clean” is paired with an image of a youngster taking a bath while another character (possibly an older sibling) sits nearby, smiling. Just because I’m stubborn, / doesn’t mean that you can’t turn me.” Witty, digitally rendered vignettes portray youngsters diverse in terms of race and ability (occasionally with pets looking on) dealing with everything from friendship drama to a nerve-wracking footrace. The series of pithy, wry comments, each starting with the phrase “Just because,” makes clear that each of us is a mass of contradictions: “Just because we’re friends, / doesn’t mean you can’t burn me. Oscar winner McConaughey offers intriguing life observations. Oswald’s detailed, comical illustrations continue to provide laughs, including a spot with Cheese onstage doing a “CHED” talk.įrom curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift-this multicourse romp delivers. More didactic and less pun-rich than previous entries in the Food Group series, this outing nevertheless couples a cheerful refrain with pithy life lessons that hit home. A debrief with Wedge “that wasn’t all about me” leads to further realizations: Losing builds empathy for others obsession with winning obscures “the joy of participating.” The chastened cheddar learns to reserve bragging for lifting up friends, because anyone can be the Big Cheese. A disappointed Cheese throws a full-blown tantrum before arriving at a moment of truth: Self-calming, conscious breathing permits deep relief that losing-even badly-does not result in disaster. At the annual Cheese-cathlon, Wedge bests six-time winner Cheese in every event, from the footrace and chess to hat making and bread buttering. Turns out that quiet, modest Wedge is also multitalented. An opportunity for a cozy read-together and a lively discussion.Ī winning wheel of cheddar with braggadocio to match narrates a tale of comeuppance and redemption.įrom humble beginnings among kitchen curds living “quiet lives of pasteurization,” the Big Cheese longs to be the best and builds success and renown based on proven skills and dependable results: “I stuck to the things I was good at.” When newcomer Wedge moves to the village of Curds-on-Whey, the Cheese’s star status wobbles and falls. Malenfant’s lively and colorful illustrations, rendered in an unusual mix of charcoal, watercolor, pastel and Photoshop, are appealing and eye-catching and clearly depict Morris’ difficulties, dreams and triumphs. Morris is a complex character whose creativity and personality shine. Baldacchino treats the tricky and controversial subject of expected gender behaviors and bullying with care and compassion, employing language and tone that avoid histrionics or preaching. When he returns to school, tangerine dress and all, he wins over his classmates with his imaginative play and his new self-confidence. Supported by his mother’s soothing, calming encouragement, he reads, dreams, and paints wild and wonderful adventures with blue elephants and spaceships. One lonely Friday, hurt and upset, he pretends a tummy ache and stays home from school. None of this sits well with the other kids, who tease and ostracize him, leaving him isolated. He especially enjoys the dress-up center, where he chooses a tangerine-colored dress that reminds him of “tigers, the sun and his mother’s hair.” The dress also makes delightful sounds as he moves, and when he adds shoes that click, his joy is complete. He likes his mom and his cat and lots of school activities. Young Morris definitely marches to the beat of a different drummer.
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