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32 pp.
| Peachtree
| September, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56145-706-9$15.95
(3)
K-3
Edgar and his family are moving, and he's devastated about leaving his best friend behind. It's the old relocated-kid-has-to-make-new-friends story, with a twist: the reason everything seems "strange" to Edgar is that he's a robot now living in a land of aliens. The story succeeds thanks to Luthardt's vibrant, emotions-forward acrylics, which occasionally recall cubist paintings.
32 pp.
| Peachtree
| March, 2009
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56145-430-3$15.95
(4)
PS
A little boy dreams of flying like a bird. After his father explains why humans can't fly, the dad swings his son overhead, which satisfies the imaginative tot. Although the story is slight, it may inspire creative play between parent and child. The illustrations, which feature round shapes, lack movement--a weakness in a story all about action.
32 pp.
| Dial
| June, 2005
|
TradeISBN 0-8037-2986-3$9.99
(4)
PS
A rabbit and a turtle lament each other's tastes in toys, sports, treats, etc. They finally realize their narrow-mindedness, then proceed to crack each other up with fake fancies ("I like to...skateboard...in my scuba gear!"). The to-each-one's-own message is clearly wrought, but the featureless backdrops against which the protagonists spar make the characters look as if they're floating.
32 pp.
| Whitman
| September, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-8075-3171-5$15.95
(3)
K-3
In this practically wordless offering, three kids with funky new derbies are insulted by a baseball cap-wearing bully ("Ugly hats!"). The insultees come up with a strategy: "Neat hat!" they tell their tormentor, who, disarmed, becomes their playmate. Luthardt's art conveys the kids' ranges of emotion, and he laudably resists the urge to spell out his worthy message.
32 pp.
| Peachtree
| March, 2004
|
TradeISBN 1-56145-300-5$$15.95
(3)
PS
Larabee, the mail carrier's dog, loves helping to deliver the mail. What he really wants, however, is to get a letter himself. "But dogs don't get mail." Then one day, there's a letter left in the mailbag just for Larabee. This story is satisfying and simple, and the cheerful illustrations give Larabee lots of personality.
40 pp.
| Peachtree
| March, 2003
|
TradeISBN 1-56145-046-4$$15.95
(2)
PS
With just a dozen-plus words, Luthardt tells the story of a young boy's attachment to a duckling ("peep!") who grows up into a duck ("quack!") and grows away from the boy ("it's time"; "bye bye"). But not to worry: those same few words stretch to cover a happy ending. The book's strength is the directness and speed with which art and minimal text tell the story.
32 pp.
| Atheneum
| February, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-689-83237-0$$14.00
(4)
PS
When two brothers receive a toy dinosaur from Granny in the mail, they struggle over ownership until the toy rips. Mother repairs it, and the boys learn to share. The nearly wordless tale drives home its point somewhat didactically, but the oil paintings effectively capture the boys' passion for the toy and sorrow over its destruction.