Tamara Petrosino • Illustration • About

Book Reviews

From BOOKLIST
Shulman, Mark. A Is for Zebra. Illus. by Tamara Petrosino. Apr. 2006. 32p.
Sterling, $14.95 (1-4027-3494-8). 428.1. Gr. 1–3.

“P is for hip-hop.” What starts off as one funny idea the last, not the first, letter of the word stands for the letter of the alphabet––turns into something much more. A may be for zebra, but on the same page the hilarious, colorful cartoons also show a llama, a cobra, a hyena with a camera, and a panda eating a banana. “Yuck! You stink!” the shark tells the skunk, while a dozen more scenarios play out on the page. The farce of the pictures will appeal to young children; the puns and the play with words will appeal to older ones (and budding crossword fans), who will like finding all the connections for each letter. A fresh, delightful take on an alphabet book."
––Hazel Rochman

From School Library Journal
Cat Poems by David Crawley, illus by Tamara Petrosino

"Kindergarten-Grade 4–A pampered Persian shares the limelight with strays in celebration of felines. Many of the 24 entries describe their comical antics, whether they are flying across a room in pursuit of invisible creatures or assisting with household chores: "He paws at the sheets,/and claws at the spread./(My cat likes to help/when I'm making the bed)." There is a "Grocery Store Cat" that "... sits by himself/on the window shelf/in old Mister Galligan's store" and a "Playground Cat" that entices children to "…leave/their slides and swings/to watch him play/with shoelace strings." Other critters sleep, snuggle, pounce, and play. Crawley utilizes line-ending rhyme schemes in the poems, and the familiar pattern will engage beginning or reluctant readers, while the humor and wit will appeal to the school-age crowd. Petrosino's watercolor illustrations match the mood of the light verse as colorful cats are shown contentedly sleeping, wildly cavorting, or interacting with their young owners. Two of the offerings are presented in a comic-book-style format, creating a new, unexpected experience with poetry.

Display this volume with Douglas Florian's Bow Wow Meow Meow (Harcourt, 2003)
as examples of verse that pay tribute to beloved pets with merriment and affection."

–– Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


			Book Reviews From BOOKLIST Shulman, Mark. A Is for Zebra. Illus. by Tamara Petrosino. Apr. 2006. 32p. Sterling, $14.95 (1-4027-3494-8). 428.1. Gr. 1–3. “P is for hip-hop.” What starts off as one funny idea the last, not the first, letter of the word stands for the letter of the alphabet––turns into something much more. A may be for zebra, but on the same page the hilarious, colorful cartoons also show a llama, a cobra, a hyena with a camera, and a panda eating a banana. “Yuck! You stink!” the shark tells the skunk, while a dozen more scenarios play out on the page. The farce of the pictures will appeal to young children; the puns and the play with words will appeal to older ones (and budding crossword fans), who will like finding all the connections for each letter. A fresh, delightful take on an alphabet book." ––Hazel Rochman From School Library Journal Cat Poems by David Crawley, illus by Tamara Petrosino "Kindergarten-Grade 4–A pampered Persian shares the limelight with strays in celebration of felines. Many of the 24 entries describe their comical antics, whether they are flying across a room in pursuit of invisible creatures or assisting with household chores: "He paws at the sheets,/and claws at the spread./(My cat likes to help/when I'm making the bed)." There is a "Grocery Store Cat" that "... sits by himself/on the window shelf/in old Mister Galligan's store" and a "Playground Cat" that entices children to "…leave/their slides and swings/to watch him play/with shoelace strings." Other critters sleep, snuggle, pounce, and play. Crawley utilizes line-ending rhyme schemes in the poems, and the familiar pattern will engage beginning or reluctant readers, while the humor and wit will appeal to the school-age crowd. Petrosino's watercolor illustrations match the mood of the light verse as colorful cats are shown contentedly sleeping, wildly cavorting, or interacting with their young owners. Two of the offerings are presented in a comic-book-style format, creating a new, unexpected experience with poetry. Display this volume with Douglas Florian's Bow Wow Meow Meow (Harcourt, 2003) as examples of verse that pay tribute to beloved pets with merriment and affection." –– Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.







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