Two Peas in a Pod

Gr 1—3—Violet and Marvin (aka Marvellous) believe they have been best friends since dinosaurs were around (almost). They play in one another's yards and visit the park together. While cloud-watching Marvin can only see cauliflower shapes, Violet can see "cottonwood castles and marshmallow kingdoms." When her family moves away, Marvin's world is vast and empty, and he wonders, "What about me?" One day his mum surprises him with a plane ticket to visit Violet. They fly kites at the beach and cloud watch; now Marvellous sees a variety of happy and imaginative images: "sailing ships...marshmallow dinosaurs, ice-cream pillows." He returns home feeling lonely all over again, but glad to see his family. Metaphors about moving on and change while still trying to embrace a close friendship may not be easy for children to interpret without adult help. At times the childlike text is choppy, and youngsters may find the Australian vernacular confusing. An adult interjection, for example, is about watching The Bold and the Beautiful and a "chook" is a cat. The mixed-media illustrations vary from sad to joyful and from simple to cluttered. Libby Gleeson's Half a World Away (Scholastic, 2007) is a better choice.—Anne Beier, Clifton Public Library, NJ