Pruett and Soo

by Nancy Viau, Jorge Lacera (Illustrator)

Overview

Pruett is from Planet Monochrome, where everything is black, white, or gray; everyone follows the rules and walks in straight lines; and they never, ever ask or answer questions. But then Soo arrives from Planet Prismatic. She’s bursting with brilliant colors! She zigs and zags all over the place! When she asks Pruett questions, he finds he wants to reply…and his whole world starts to change.

With a palette that shifts from grayscale to full color, this engaging story reminds us that what you feel defines who you are—and, sometimes, a friend can help you see that best.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781542043427
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	03/22/2022
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.66(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.47(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Nancy Viau is the author of a number of books for children including Storm Song, illustrated by Gynux; Today Is a Beach Day!, illustrated by Charlie Alder; First Snow, illustrated by Talitha Shipman; and the Samantha Hansen series. A former teacher, she currently lives in New Jersey and travels around the solar system in her imagination. Learn more at www.nancyviau.com.

Jorge Lacera was born in Colombia and grew up in Florida. He attended Ringling College of Art and Design and has worked as an artist or art director at major gaming studios and entertainment companies. He is the illustrator of Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies by Megan Lacera and XO, Exoplanet by Deborah Underwood. He lives in Canada with his family. Learn more at www.studiolacera.com.

Editorial Reviews

The unlikely friendship at the heart of this allegorical picture book is touching. Viau’s writing is engaging.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Highlighting the value of asserting one’s individuality in the face of pressures to conform, this vivid episode can stand alone or fit neatly into a storytime with such similarly chromatic tales as Sam Swope and Barry Root’s classic The Araboolies of Liberty Street.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

2021-12-16
Pruett’s regimented, lackluster life is completely transformed when he befriends a vivacious foreigner named Soo.

Pruett, a young monitor head robot, lives on the tiny Planet Monochrome. Like the rest of his fellow automatons, Pruett strives to never stand out, never ask or answer questions, and “never use anything but a black, gray, or white crayon” at school. One day, a new student named Soo arrives, hailing from Planet Prismatic. Soo—a multicolored extraterrestrial who literally glows—is a cheerful maverick who tries to get Pruett to live a little. He resists her attempts at first, but when Soo’s color starts to fade and her glow begins to dim, a remorseful Pruett finds the courage to break out of his society’s mold, igniting a colorful revolution that changes Planet Monochrome forever. The unlikely friendship at the heart of this allegorical picture book is touching. Viau’s writing is engaging; however, the storyline is predictable from beginning to end. Moreover, the story’s depiction of the demise of conformity and its conceptualization of how social change is achieved are frustratingly oversimplistic. Lacera’s digital illustrations are retro-futuristic with nods to video game and comic book aesthetics. Mirroring the story arc, the palette of the artwork gradually shifts from grayscale to brilliantly polychromatic.

Lightweight entertainment. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews