FICTION

Monday, Wednesday, and Every Other Weekend

illus. by Karen Stanton. 40p. Feiwel & Friends. Feb. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781250034892.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2—Young Henry and his dog, Pomegranate, travel from his mother's apartment to his father's house every other day. Children will notice the marked difference in the two places. Pomegranate notices as well. For instance, there is no place for a dog to dig at Papa's home. One day, the pup is missing, and Henry has a good idea where he might be found: his old house, "the place where we all used to live together." Average artwork of mixed media with bright acrylic paint and collage work of various textured scraps decorate the pages. In fact, some of the tiny scraps of words are cut from books of various languages, such as French or Spanish, which can be observed by keen eyes. Words such as "bueno" or "muy deliciosa" are inserted near the aromas wafting from the kitchen area throughout his mother's apartment. This book can fill a gap in collections because Stanton brings the story to a satisfactory conclusion with a simple understanding for children who live in two homes.—Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Henry and his dog Pomegranate live in an apartment with Mom on Mondays, Wednesdays, and alternating weekends; they live in a house with Dad the rest of the time. Rich, colorful art done with acrylics and collage works together with the text to show two inviting homes. Nevertheless, one morning when Pomegranate disappears, Henry knows just where to look. A warm, thoughtful book.
In this warm, thoughtful look at the concept of home in divorced families, Henry and his dog Pomegranate live in an apartment with Mom on Mondays, Wednesdays, and alternating weekends and a house with Dad the rest of the time. Rich, colorful art done with acrylics and collage on paper (using an assortment of "old French math pages, Italian hand-marbled paper scraps, shopping bags and Go Book pages from Japan, antique Parisian wallpaper, tissue paper from a Chinese grocery" and more) works together with the text to show two inviting homes with unique sounds, smells, and colors. Each home also showcases a picture of Henry and Pomegranate with its respective parent along with a calendar of Henry's days circled. While Henry reports the delights of each place, he always notes that Pomegranate "wants to go home." One morning when Pomegranate disappears, Henry knows just where to look, showing readers that the home Pomegranate misses is actually the house where they all used to live together. Henry retrieves Pomegranate and meets the new family who lives there before returning to his split-living situation. The final page offers a quiet catharsis with Henry and Pomegranate looking at those two pictures, one with each parent, now together on the same wall. julie roach

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