Pete & Pickles

Title: Pete & Pickles
Author: Berkeley Breathed
Illustrator: Berkeley Breathed
Publisher: Philomel Books
http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/1,,9780399250828,00.html
Publication Date: 2008
Genre:Fantasy
Audience: Gr. 2-4
Overview: "Pete was a perfectly predictable pig." He liked everything and everyday to be perfect. One night Pete decided to go to bed early because he hated thunderstorms, and that's just what was coming. As he dreamed of drowning he suddenly awoke and new something was wrong. A giant elephant picked Pete. Then at the door was a clown in search of an elephant, so the clown and the elephant left the pig's house. But when Pete was cleaning he found Dandelions in his room and he decided to take a walk to find where they came from. He found himself at a circus tent and the elephant was there too. Her name was Pickles, and Pickles was a very sad, locked up circus elephant. Pete unlocked her chain and the two sneaked away. Pickles followed Pete back to his house. She took over his bed, his clothes, his garden, and his bathtub. But as the days past, Pete became less predictable and more spontaneous. The two swam, imagined, ate ice cream, went sledding. But Pete became fed up with Pickles. He wanted his belongings in place, his days on schedule, and his life back to normal. So, he yelled at Pickles and told her to leave but she didn't. She stayed and tried to clean the house...but she flooded it. The firefighters came in and found the two and rescued them. The pig and the elephant slept for a long long time. When they woke up and enjoyed themselves together.
Activity: This book is great on creating diversity or friendship. Some people (or animals) can be so different to you, until you take the time to get to know them. A lesson could be about judgment of others and how in most cases we are wrong in our initial perception. With young kids, they could add pages to the book, or write a story with a similar scenario.
Reviewer's Name: Emily Trees