She Yelled. I Screamed...She Pulled my Hair!: an unfairy tale

by Tracy Leshay, Tracy Leshay (Photographer)

Overview

This is author/photographer Tracy Leshay's debut book. As a rhyming fairy tale, it teaches that patience is needed when around those learning to share. In this humorous taking-turns-tale of woe, Phoebe is determined to get along with her little sister Audrey. She follows the advice of a helpful fairy, but it's a mean-hot summer, and temperatures and tempers are running high. Phoebe will need more than a day to make her sister share; tme will pass and seasons will change. Eventually, Phoebe and Audrey do magically share, but until then, SHE YELLED. I SCREAMED...SHE PULLED MY HAIR! This universal story gets to the heart of how one learns to share. If you want a turn playing with the toy teapot, car, or bike, persistence, politeness, and patience will be needed. A photographic series of Tracy Leshay's daughter's hair inspired this modern-day fairy tale. Leshay's words provide a learning-to-share tool, but her 35mm pictures create a unique art-book experience. Phoebe and Audrey seem real with real issues - ones that every child experiences. The visuals make the story enjoyable to eyes of all ages, while the topic and the telling make it just perfect for those ages 3-8.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780989998833
Publisher:	Again Again Books
Publication date:	02/10/2015
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

2014-12-03
In rhymed couplets, this debut book displays the challenges of sharing with a little sister. Narrated by Phoebe—who has a sister, Audrey—this first story in a planned series begins in summer, when heat is making the girls so irritable that they are no longer kind to each other. Every time Phoebe asks Audrey to share their teapot, Audrey yells, Phoebe screams, and Audrey pulls Phoebe's hair. Soon, Phoebe grabs and then throws the teapot, hitting Audrey's foot. Without saying sorry, Phoebe heads for the shade of a tree and voices aloud her wish for Audrey to share. Immediately, a winged lady appears and reveals a sharing spell that involves giving Audrey leaves from a magical tree, coupled with kisses. Phoebe expects everything to be easy now that she has a magic spell, but it takes perseverance—as well as magic, a whole lot of leaves and kisses, and a change of seasons—for the sisters to finally get along. The text doubles as a playground for graphical elements by Leshay and James Renald: The word "burn" is on fire, while "shake" imitates quivering. The impressive black-and-white photographs invite deeper attention, but they can sometimes feel separate from the story. For example, depending on mood and angle, Audrey looks so different that young readers may find it difficult to figure out whom to follow. At times, the text is also confusing, as when Audrey rather randomly tells a stuffed bunny it can't have a car—"No car for Woo Wabbit!" Still, as part of a read-along, the uncommonly artful photos plot a refreshing path toward a heartfelt message. Little girls who are willing to work a bit for their understanding are likely to enjoy this wonderfully illustrated story with its successful treatment of text as graphics and some fresh ideas about sharing.

Kirkus Review