March Book Madness
Part 3
Here's how we voted:
After reading both books, I addressed the whole group with the questions, "What did you think? Which one did you like better?" I could see the wheels turning, and had T answer first to get the ball rolling. He selected I am Farmer as opposed to Game Changers. Then the other children piped up. It was close: 3-2 in favor of I am Farmer. I didn't push them to say why they voted the way they did, but one older sibling joined us that day and analyzed the books in a bit more detail. We adults, however, talked over the kids as they got up to play, discussing the language, the events of each story, and our children's apparent interest as I read. We were also fairly evenly divided. When voting opened on the marchbookmadness.weebly.com website, I registered a vote for I am Farmer. Enjoyable and easy peasy.
The following week, when The Princess and the Pitstop was on the docket, voting turned out a a bit differently. We had a unanimous vote in favor of The Princess and the Pitstop. We had a bigger group that week, and each child was rapt as I read aloud. It was no surprise that they loved it, but I was surprised that even the "I'm not into princesses" children voted for it. The ending, with an allusion to a dance contest, got the kids talking about what might happen next. I would call this another fun meeting.
The Princess and the Pitstop
Written by Tom Angleberger
Illustrated by Dan Santat
Published July 10, 2018
I'll admit it: I judge books by their covers. When I saw this on the March Book Madness lineup, I thought, here's a book jumping on the princess+traditional-male-role bandwagon (you've probably seen the princess-knight and princess-scientist books out there). Then I read the synopsis and was chastened – it sounded like the type of book we love wrapped up in a fun package. And oh my, is it awesome. I'm smiling just writing about it!
The princess in question is racing a car and is in last place. When her fairy godmother tells her to give up, she is determined not to. She outruns a myriad of other fairy tale characters. In the end, she wins, strikes Instagram-worthy poses, and has a party at the castle with everyone who appeared in the story. The entire story is narrated by a frog, whom we learn is the frog prince when the princess grabs him for a dance contest on the final page.
I like this because it is FUN to read and encourages the audience to persist in their endeavors in the face of failure. As I read, I can't help but adopt a sportscaster's voice and get totally wrapped up in the reading myself. Spotting famous characters like the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland in the pit crew or the Gingerbread man whom she "can catch" adds to the thrill. And Santat has done a hilarious job with the design of each character''s race car, like the four-and-twenty blackbirds who drive an enormous pie! Underlying all this fun is the inherent message of commitment and persistence. Despite admonitions to give up as well as a likely failure, the princess remains committed to her goal, putting forth an effort to finish the race. Her ultimate success drives home this message of perseverance in the face of adversity.
I absolutely recommend The Princess and the Pit Stop.
P.S. Peek under the book jacket!
Son's Review
(Age: 5)
The princess rides a race car and she wins the race and it's about a princess and a pit stop.
I felt happy in the whole book.
[The best part is] when she won the race.
It's not like other books because it has a little comic story before the starting.
Note:
When I read the synopsis and saw that the underlying message was one of persistence, I expected that I would want to share it with you. I therefore requested a review copy, which Abrams Books for Young Readers provided in exchange for an honest review.
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