Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read. The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect. How are they going to “fix selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day.

An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration-expressed as a tangled black scribble-reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.Ī blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. Provides readers with an easy-to-replicate method that will help them put bad days and experiences in perspective. Mom and the author (in a note that follows the story) both go on to explain “the negativity bias,” a double-edged sword our brains use to keep us safe, “but sometimes it can make us think that life isn’t as great as it really is.” Sergio and his mom are portrayed with brown skin, his father is white, and his school friends are multiracial. As Mom has him rewind the day and remember everything that happened, Sergio places a marble on the “good side” for everything good that happened and one on the other side for everything “bad.” By the time they’ve finished it is clear the “good” side of the scale has outweighed the “bad.” Sergio concludes, “It was actually pretty great!” This mindfulness lesson, told in accessible language and using familiar scenarios, does not feel preachy. Mom is not so sure his whole day has been terrible and to prove it suggests an activity involving a scale and a jar full of marbles. His day has been “Terrible!” In fact, “It was a completely awful day.” It turns out he dropped his lunch tray and his food went everywhere. When Sergio arrives home, droopy eyes and an equally droopy face tell his mood. A story meant to encourage readers to focus on the positive things in their lives.

Sergio Sees the Good by Linda Ryden