Skip to main content

Lenny & Lucy

Lenny & Lucy
By Philip C. Stead Illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Roaring Brook Press, 2015. Picture Book.

Peter and his father move into a house just over a bridge surrounded by dark woods. The woods make Peter a bit uneasy, not knowing what may be hiding in them. He and his beloved dog Henry decide they need protection from whatever might be lurking in the woods. Peter gets to work creating Lenny, a man made out of pillows, blankets, and chair cushions to guard the bridge. Peter and Henry stand back and admire their work and are sure Lenny will do a great job protecting them. Watching Lenny from their window, Peter and Henry begin to worry if Lenny is lonely, outside all by himself with no one to talk to. Peter knows exactly what to do and begins constructing Lucy, a companion for Lenny. With the help of Lenny, Lucy, and a surprising new friend along the way, Peter and Henry begin to realize that maybe the woods aren't as scary as they seem. Readers will be drawn into this book by its charming illustrations with grey-scale backdrops and pops of faded yellows, blues, and oranges highlighting main elements of the story. The text has a cozy, relaxed feeling and the dark woods add an element of mystery and curiosity. Readers get to watch as Lenny and Lucy come to life in Peter's eyes and see how they help him overcome his fear of the woods and cope with his new and unfamiliar home.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Stand Tall by Joan Bauer

Stand Tall By Siena Siegel by Joan Bauer Putnam, 2002, 182 pgs Realistic Fiction Tree is 12 years old and over 6 feet tall. That would be great if he were a basketball player, but he is not. Dealing with his unusual size is not Tree's only challenge. Tree's parents have recently gone through a divorce, and his grandfather has had his leg amputated as the result of an old Vietnam War injury. The strength of this book is the characterizations. All of the main characters are dimensional and sympathetic. Bauer sets the characters in real and often funny family situations. Best of all is the character of Tree. He is boy with a heart to match his stature. This is a great book for boys or girls ages 9-12, as a read aloud or for individual reading. This book could also be a good Rx book for children whose families are going through divorce, or for anyone who feels like they don't fit in.

Review: The New Girl

The New Girl By Cassandra Calin New York: Graphix, 2024. Comic. 261 pages. 12-year-old Lia and her family have just moved from Romania to Montreal, and she's doing her best to keep up with the changes. But, she's homesick. She misses the rest of her family, her friends, and her favorite Romanian treats. She doesn't speak French and her English is shaky, which makes it hard to make friends, even in her international immersion class. And she's dealing with super painful menstrual cramps every month. But before long, Lia starts to hit her stride. She befriends the other bilingual girls in her class, she gets a spot as the artist for her school's magazine, and even has a new crush -- Julien. Though she may be the new girl, Lia is starting to fit in. This slice of life graphic novel is an adorable choice for middle grade readers and young teens. Lia is a likable protagonist and readers will have little difficulty relating to her adjustment to school. The text speaks to a...

Review: Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker

  Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker By Heidi Heilig New York: Greenwillow Books, 2025. Fiction. 291 pages. Thanks to Cincinnati Lee's no good, dirty rotten, artifact stealing great great great grandfather, Cincinnati's family is now cursed and Cincinnati feels like it's up to her to break the curse. Which involves trying to steal the artifacts back from museums that her grandfather robbed from graves and archeological sites around the world and return them to their countries of origin. But when Cincinnati's first artifact stealing mission goes awry, she decides it might be more effective to steal an all-powerful artifact herself that she can use to break the curse - The Spear of Destiny. Unfortunately her race for the spear will pit her against art smugglers and thieves intent on finding the ancient artifact themselves. If you are looking for an Indiana Jones read-alike, this is the perfect for you! Heavy on the adventure with similar levels of mysticism to those seen in th...