Kalinka and Grakkle

by Julie Paschkis Narrated by Eevin Hartsough

Overview

Can a perky little bird with an eye for neatness and a very messy monster find a way to be friends? Kalinka's a showy little bird with an eye for neatness, but her grumpy neighbor Grakkle doesn't care one bit about cleaning. He just wants to relax in his favorite chair and soak his feet in a cool bucket of pickle juice. "Grakk!" he complains as Kalinka "tidies up" his messes. "You're welcome," she responds. They simply aren't on the same wavelength. Can an unfortunate accident plus a little humor and empathy help an odd couple like this see eye to eye?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"The momentarily dire consequences and subsequent détente are familiar, but Paschkis's innate effervescence more than compensates. She fills the oversize pages with curly ink lines and folk art motifs and colors; it's cozy and cheery, yet it still delivers on the big dramatic moment. While the narration tends toward the see-and-say, Paschkis writes with concision and an ear for words that make for great readalouds"—Publishers Weekly

"Kalinka's blithe cluelessness and Grakkle's grunting ire should tickle young listeners. Paschkis' colorful and quirky illustrations, rendered in ink and gouache, heighten the supreme silliness of her tale. . . . Another cute odd-friendship story."—Kirkus Reviews

"Humorous monster details will pull in readers for this lighthearted tale of an unusual friendship."—Booklist

"[A] fictitious tale that reads more like a modern-day fable. . . .an important lesson about the value of self-control. . . A strong emphasis on friendship provides a solid theme for this book."—School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

2018-02-04
Neighbors who are as different as night and day can still be friends, once they understand each other.Kalinka, a little yellow bird with a neat cap of red feathers, lives next door to Grakkle, a big green "beast with bad habits, a bad temper, and bad hair" (an all-over pelt depicted as tight curls resembling a poodle's coat and always referred to as "hair"). Kalinka flies through the open window of Grakkle's house one day and declares with a chirp that the place could use some tidying up. Grakkle, who has only one word in his vocabulary—"Grakk"—uses it quite expressively to reject Kalinka's help. But Kalinka pays him no heed; she interprets "Grakk" as "Thank you." Grakkle grows more and more annoyed as Kalinka eats his favorite cookies, stuffs all the loose pencils into a box of spaghetti, and ties a bow in Grakkle's unruly hair. Overcome, the green beast throws a big angry tantrum, resulting in Kalinka's tumble into the pickle bucket where Grakkle likes to soak his feet. It's the remorseful Grakkle to the rescue, and in short order a beautiful new friendship is born. Kalinka's blithe cluelessness and Grakkle's grunting ire should tickle young listeners. Paschkis' colorful and quirky illustrations, rendered in ink and gouache, heighten the supreme silliness of her tale. Unfortunately, the depiction of Grakkle's repeatedly denigrated hair, green though it may be, is close enough to depictions of Afro-textured hair that it may cause uncomfortable associations for some readers. Another cute odd-friendship story. (Picture book. 3-5)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170940141
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	06/01/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

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