Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Employing warm powers of observation and expressive mixed-media spreads in an elegant palette of fuchsia, olive, and chestnut brown, Alemagna (You Can't Kill Snow White) chronicles the rich relationship that develops between a child and the scab that forms on their leg after a tumble on some cobblestones. The fall has already happened at story's start ("It burned a lot, lot, lot!"), and though the child's father says that the scab will be beautiful, instead, "it looked like a big hamburger." The child's mother says that the scab will go away in a few days, but it lingers. It's the ugliest scab in the world, the child worries, much worse than those that other people have. The scab even gets a name (Pepper, after "the puppy I never managed to get"), and a spirited conversation ensues: "You couldn't have called me Crystal or Jazzy? A super nice cute name?" Then, one morning, Pepper falls away, "tucked into the folds of my sheets." It's easy for readers to see their own concerns reflected in the narrator's--and to breathe a sigh of relief when the ordeal is over--in this slice-of-life portrait of life's small comings and goings. Ages 4--8. (Jan.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
A young protagonist with a deep internal life shares a personal memory in this intimate and indelible picture book. The unnamed redhead recounts tripping face-down on the cobblestone ground. As a scab develops on their injured knee, the child experiences fear, disgust, wonder, and impatience. They name the scab Pepper, and one day Pepper -- drawn with a stylized face -- speaks to the child. The child engages with the scab, telling stories and sharing thoughts during lonely days in the country spent with grandparents (and without a dog). Over time, Pepper shrinks and gets softer, and the protagonist gets used to its presence. ("She was just doing what scabs do.") Then one day, the scab falls off. The child finds Pepper in the bedsheets and says goodbye by gently dropping it outside among the poppies. The once-injured knee, now smooth, inspires reflection on the child's past: about how it felt having the scab, about visiting with grandparents, and what life was like before their cuddly pet dog joined the family. Illustrations rendered with gouache, oil, collage, and wax pencils fill colorful spreads with emotive angles and textures. Words and images are portrayed with rhythm and sensory details, which bring depth to character and illuminate the comforting settings. This exploration of pain, healing, change, wonder, and time can also serve as an educational mentor text for lessons about personal narratives. Elisa GallMarch/April 2024 p.56 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A child has a complex relationship with a large scab that forms after a bad fall. In a straightforward, childlike voice accompanied by charmingly naïve mixed-media illustrations, a pale-skinned narrator with long red hair recounts the story of a scraped knee and its aftermath. A few days after a fall and "you-know-what" dripping down the child's leg, a humungous scab forms. Though adults reassure the child that it will go away soon, "we kept staring at each other, the scab and me…I was afraid it would stay forever." The "hideous" scab is a source of constant distraction, the "worst one in the whole world," but it follows the little one everywhere, so the child decides to name it Pepper. Pepper becomes a companion through the summer, and the scab slowly changes, pulling at the surrounding skin and shrinking. "Sometimes it seemed like she was smiling at me," the child notes, and soon the little one begins to share stories, thoughts, and dreams with Pepper. Then one morning, Pepper is gone. She is found among the bedsheets, small and sad. Alemagna deftly captures feelings of loss over something inconsequential to adults but of outsized importance to a child. Off-kilter compositions create an uneasiness that offsets the sweet childlike scenes, allowing for complicated emotional responses. A uniquely moving story about an unlikely subject. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
