If you have a young child, you will love this picture book. Pepe the Key West Rooster, written by Victoria Scudder and illustrated by Nita Candra. I'm way older, and I loved this book! I was given an Advanced Reader Copy, ARC, but it was my idea to review it here for you.
As you can tell from the title, Pepe is a rooster who lives in Key West, Florida. He is just a young rooster though, a cockrell, and wants to be like his handsome and popular father. But he feels small and drab compared to his father. He doesn't know what his special qualities could be that will set him apart from other roosters. He goes on a quest, seeking out his friends to see if they know what talent he could learn to make him special. From them, he learns patience, self-acceptance, and that he is already unique.
Pepe's trip around the island is full of famous places that made ME want to visit there. His conversations with friends are touching and encouraging. As a parent and now a grandparent, this is exactly the kind of book I want my grands to hear. Without giving anything away, let me just say that you will love the ending. This is a perfectly written rhyming book. If you've ever written a poem, in school or afterward, you know how difficult it is to find words that have both the right meaning and that rhyme. Some rhyming books sound a bit disjointed because of that. But not this one. The meter is measured yet conversational and the sentences and words used are completely balanced.
The illustrations are simple, bright, and colorful, just like life on the island. Some of the famous landmarks are visited too. If you've been there, you will recognize them in the illustrations. At the end of the book is a kid-friendly history lesson with a paragraph about each landmark visited by Pepe.
It's on Amazon Unlimited, so you can read it before buying it for your children or grandchildren. If yours are like my grandsons, they want to hold the book and flip through it over and over before I ever start reading.
Enjoy!
Marti's DIY and Life in General
August 05, 2023
6 comments:
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It sounds a delightful, fun and also a gently educational read. Thanks for a lovely review.
ReplyDeleteERin
Thank you! Yes, it is both fun and a little educational too. I love books that slip in education without the reader even being aware.
DeleteI'll have a look at Pepe! I really haven't read a "young" book in a long time. I used to have 30 chickens (when I was 10-12), and the rooster "Rooney" was my big pet who followed me around the chicken yard. I actually miss him to this day.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very fun read for the kiddos.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being a guiding light in the realm of online content creation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for turning complex topics into easily understandable and enjoyable reads.
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