Lenny & Lucy

by Philip C. Stead, Erin E. Stead (Illustrator)

Overview

Peter and his father are moving to a new house beyond the dark unfriendly woods. When they arrive at their new home, Peter wants to turn back. Fortunately, he has Harold for company, but Harold is just a dog and can't help Peter. Scared of the things hidden in the woods, Peter makes a tall pile of pillows. He stiches and sews. He pushes and pulls. And when he is done, he has Lenny, Guardian of the Bridge, to protect him and Harold.

Lenny is a good guard but Peter worries that Lenny will get lonely out by the woods all by himself, so he makes Lucy, who is a good friend. Together, Lenny, Lucy, Peter, and Harold discover that this new place isn't so scary after all.

This title has Common Core connections.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596439320
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	10/06/2015
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	AD630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

PHILIP C. STEAD is the author of the Caldecott Medal winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee, also named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2010 and a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of 2010, illustrated by his wife, Erin E. Stead (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, 2010).  Philip, also an artist, both wrote and illustrated his debut Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast (Roaring Brook Press, 2009), which was applauded by School Library Journal for “its wry humor and illustrations worthy of a Roald Dahl creation.”  Philip lives with Erin in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Erin E. Stead has illustrated several children's books with her husband, Philip C. Stead. Their first picture book, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, won the Caldecott Medal. She has also illustrated And Then It's Spring (written by Julie Fogliano) and contributed to Eric Carle's What's Your Favorite Animal? The Steads divide their time between Ann Arbor, Michigan, and New York City.

Editorial Reviews

The warmth and large-heartedness on display in the Steads' Caldecott Medal-winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee suffuses every page, but with a darker sensibility. Erin Stead's mesmerizing illustrations subtly evoke the fear and pain of a young boy starting his life over…Lenny & Lucy reminds us that it takes a small army of companions, real and imaginary, to face the dark unknown.

The New York Times Book Review - Margo Rabb

A quiet, comforting tale of finding where you belong.” —Booklist

“A wonderfully creative story of resilience and friendship.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“Hypnotic artwork and storytelling invite children to linger in the wild woods of worry and emerge intact, enriched, and utterly invigorated by this complex, contemporary fairy tale.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Erin Stead uses faded grays for the alien forest and warm, quiet color for the story's living souls. What stands out is the Steads' (Bear Has a Story to Tell) ability to evoke the wordless intimacy and companionship that every child needs-and will make for themselves, if necessary.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 2015-05-06
Peter, his dad, and his dog, Harold, move to a narrow house just on the other side of "dark unfriendly woods," across a rickety bridge. Smudgy grays describe this new, murky place, communicating all of Peter's uneasiness and uncertainty. Details as sharp as his edgy fears ("Terrible things hid in the trees") ripple through riveting illustrations, in overwhelming floral wallpapers and spiky tree trunks, all bathed in graphite. Colors (yellows, blues, greens, and purples) appear only in spots, buoys in rough waters. Gripping narration unspools the story with the measured, easy command of a Grimm—or a Neil Gaiman. Children might wiggle a bit as they absorb, with grave recognition, the streaming undercurrents of discomfort and loneliness. To combat both these feelings and the things in the woods, Peter builds a pillow man he calls Lenny, Guardian of the Bridge, and, soon after, a friend for him named Lucy. These pillow people, somehow human in both their form (button eyes convey remarkable feeling) and puffy vulnerability, seem swollen with acute worries. They are the Guardians, after all. Subtly, quietly, Lenny and Lucy eventually move a bit, lifting their hats to a neighbor girl named Millie, who comes to Peter bringing binoculars, marshmallows, and the unspoken promise of friendship. Hypnotic artwork and storytelling invite children to linger in the wild woods of worry and emerge intact, enriched, and utterly invigorated by this complex, contemporary fairy tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews