Claymates

PreS-Gr 2—After an artist leaves, two hunks of talking clay begin molding themselves, testing the limits of their physical forms and their imaginations. The gray blob, originally designed as a wolf, goes from an elephant to a snout-nosed "Pig-e-phant," while the brown blob, sculpted to be an owl, turns into everything from a peanut to a walrus. The two continue to stretch and bend into different forms and animals until they hear their artist coming. But how are they going to change themselves back?! Petty, author of I Don't Want To Be a Frog, has written another wonderfully humorous story, but this one embraces the characters' desire to shape their own identities. The clay lumps play off each other well, quickly escalating the situation until it hilariously spins out of control. But the real star may be Eldridge's models, since this title is not drawn but rather told through a series of photos of actual clay figures. Each design is vividly detailed and expressive; the characters clearly revel in the challenge and are excited by each transfiguration, and the look of panic on their faces as they try to change back is priceless.