Two Good Friends (Pearl and Wagner Series)

by Kate McMullan, R.W. Alley (Illustrator)

Overview

Level 3. Pearl and Wagner are two good friends who make a trash-eating robot together, impress a judge at the science fair, and tell each other the truth (even when it hurts!). They may be two very different individuals - Pearl, a hardworking rabbit and Wagner, a daydreaming mouse - but they know how to make up and stay good friends no matter what. This easy-to-read book is the first book in the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor-winning Pearl and Wagner series.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780448456904
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/01/2011
Series:	Penguin Young Readers Level 3 Series , #2
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kate McMullan is the award-winning author of more than seventy-five books for children. She lives in Sag Harbor, New York.

R. W. Alley has illustrated more than sixty children's books. He lives in Barrington, Rhode Island.

Editorial Reviews

From the first page of this launch title of a beginning readers series, the audience will feel like they're enrolled in Ms. Star's class, deciding what to make for the science fair along with adorable Pearl (a rabbit) and her friend Wagner (a mouse). Alley's (Mrs. Brown on Exhibit) illustrations enhance this effect with their knee-level or just-at-the-next-desk perspectives. McMullan (I Stink!) moves the story forward with simple, authentic dialogue. "I'm going to make a robot," says Pearl while Wagner dreams, "I am going to win a prize." Streamlined vocabulary and sentence structure accommodate the needs of newly independent readers without constricting the story. The last chapter segues to a believable tiff (Wagner hurts Pearl's feelings when he tells her that her new green boots "look like big fat pickles and... make way too much noise"). Alley's detailed watercolors divide the text in a variety of attractive layouts and add extra charm and emotion to the proceedings. Budding readers will want to follow this duo's further adventures. Ages 5-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 3-As everyone works diligently on their science projects, Wagner doesn't make any real progress. His friend Pearl saves him from embarrassment by offering to share her robot. Likable animal characters present everyday classroom situations with healthy doses of candor and good humor. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Pearl the rabbit and Wagner the mouse are best friends in this funny school-themed easy reader that focuses on science fair projects. Three short, related chapters written at the second-grade reading level show Pearl and Wagner creating a robot from boxes, entering their robot in the science fair, and using the robot as a way to make up after a disagreement threatens their friendship. McMullan, a former teacher, skillfully integrates key aspects of classroom friendships into her story with understated humor and some funny situations and dialogue. Alley's delightfully detailed illustrations use watercolor with pen and ink to bring the classroom of assorted animals to life, especially through the appealing facial expressions. He adds tiny details to the backgrounds that young readers will enjoy (such as escaping insects from a science project) as well as accurate illustrations of the projects. Teachers in the lower elementary grades might use this as a read-aloud before science-fair season, and Pearl and Wagner seem destined to explore other curriculum areas in future volumes as their friendship continues. (Easy reader. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews