Odd Velvet

by Mary Whitcomb, Tara Calahan King (Illustrator)

Overview

Velvet is odd. Instead of dolls that talk and cry, Velvet brings a milkweed pod for show and tell. She wins the class art contest using only an eight-pack of crayons. She likes to collect rocks. Even her name is strange—Velvet! But as the school year unfolds, the things Velvet does and the things that Velvet says slowly begin to make sense. And, in the end, Velvet's classmates discover that being different is what makes Velvet so much fun.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811820042
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	08/01/1998
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	374,507
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 Months to 12 Years

About the Author

Mary E. Whitcomb lives in Wisconsin with her husband, her three children, and their pets. Mary is an elementary school teacher. She collects rocks, fossils and shells much like the ones that Velvet brings to show and tell. This is her first book for childr

Tara Calahan King studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Tara lives in Ohio with her husband Rick. This is her first book for children.

Editorial Reviews

Two newcomers celebrate oddity and making do with less in this story of a girl named Velvet. Unlike her peers, she wears hand-me-downs, carries her lunch in a brown paper bag, owns only eight crayons, and brings a milkweed pod instead of a doll for Show-and-Tell. Gradually her differences are seen as advantages when she wins a class drawing contest and successfully entertains her classmates at an innovative birthday party. It's unfortunate that all of Velvet's "odd" qualities seem to stem from having less than her classmates, who give the teacher nicer gifts, wear new clothes, and carry store-bought lunch pails—-the point is as strong without emphasizing economic differences. Crayola-bright illustrations rely on the exaggeration of facial features for effect—-eyeglasses as large as Velvet's face, a boy whose piano-sized smile sports braces. The story lands where it was headed; different is not odd when it's understood. (Picture book. 4-7) .

Kirkus Reviews