FICTION

Virgil & Owen Stick Together

by Paulette BOGAN
32p. ebook available. Bloomsbury. Jan. 2016. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781619633735.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—Virgil, a penguin, and Owen, a polar bear, are best friends who do everything together. Owen loves math, writing his name, storytime, and lunch, but Virgil is always rushing him to finish these things. Owen gets so frustrated that he roars at Virgil, sending him flying into a pile of snow. The pals gently apologize to each other. The pen, watercolor, and gouache illustrations work nicely for the Arctic setting and are pleasing in their detail, color scheme, and expressiveness. Owen learns that he should tell Virgil if he is upset, and Virgil learns that he needs to be more considerate of Owen's feelings. This charming selection teaches kids that sometimes it takes a little bit of compromise to make a friendship work.
VERDICT A good pick for storytimes, and a sweet general purchase for most collections.
Reviewed by Liz Anderson, D.C. Public Library
In their second book, overeager penguin Virgil finishes polar bear Owen's joke, his sandwich, and so on. The book is like a primer in navigating a friendship's occasional snags: while kids can't roar their anger like Owen, they can use their words, and, like Virgil, say "I'm sorry." The pen, watercolor, and gouache art captures both the tenderness and the slapstick.
 , Nov 01, 2015

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