Greg Pizzoli

First sentence: Mister Kitty is Lost! Can you help me find him? Have you seen Mister Kitty? He is hiding somewhere inside this book. Will you turn the pages and help me look? Mister Kitty has 5 yellow spots. Do you see five yellow spots?

Premise/plot: Mister Kitty is Lost! is an interactive read to share with young ones. Most pages--if not all--ask a question [or two]. This one has plenty of opportunities for adults and little ones to interact not only with each other but with the text, the show more book, itself.

My thoughts: I absolutely loved this one. I loved the suspense. I was expecting a surprise regarding Mister Kitty's appearance/identity. I was not disappointed. I didn't know exactly *what* to expect, but I knew there had to be a humorous twist. Something that made Mister Kitty super-unique. I loved the humor of this one. I loved the interactive nature of this one. It reminds me of some of my favorite preschool programs. show less

Templeton the cat wished that his family would leave him alone. He was sick of his mother insisting that he bathe, of his father demanding that he clean his room, and of his little brothers always taking his toys. When he sees an advertisement for a special magic diamond that grants wishes, he decides that he has found the solution to his problems: he will wish his family away. But although it is nice to be able to do whatever he wants, whenever he chooses, he soon discovers that solitude show more isn't everything he hoped, and that he misses his family...

The third picture-book I have read from Greg Pizzoli, following upon The Watermelon Seed and Number One Sam, each of which feature simple texts and bright illustrations, and address common childhood experiences, Templeton Gets His Wish is an exploration of a child's desire to get his way, and his discovery that reaching a compromise with those around him is better than living alone. The artwork, as with the previous titles, is appealing, and I imagine that the younger picture-book crowd will enjoy Templeton's adventures. That said, I was disturbed to see that Templeton's actions in stealing the money in his brother's piggy-bank, in order to purchase the diamond, were never addressed again in the narrative. Although the text does tell us that Templeton "did something bad," there is no subsequent acknowledgement of wrongdoing on his part, and no restitution. If discussions of stealing were beyond the scope of the story that Pizzoli wanted to tell, I feel he should have left that plot element out. show less

Sam was number one! He was number one at speed, number one at taking turns, and number one at winning races. But when he unexpectedly lost to his friend Maggie, who displayed some driving skills of her own, he wasn't sure what to think or to do next. If he wasn't number one, what was he? Terribly nervous before the next race, Sam started out poorly but soon gained ground. Then a group of chicks wandered into his path and Sam was confronted with a choice: go around them and risk the other show more drivers not noticing the little birds, or stop and help them, thereby forfeiting the race...

An amusing tale of a little dog who experiences an existential crisis when he discovers that he can't always be the winner, Number One Sam offers a gentle lesson about what is truly important and what really makes someone number one. As with The Watermelon Seed, the first picture-book from author/artist Greg Pizzoli that I read, the artwork here is bold and bright, featuring vivid colors and a fun cartoon-like sensibility that works very well with the story. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books about winning and losing, and about staying true to your own better nature. show less

When a little crocodile swallows a watermelon seed in this humorous picture-book, he begins to panic, imagining how the seed will begin to grow inside him. Vines will come out of his ears! He might turn pink! Declaring that he doesn't want to be part of a fruit salad, the crocodile is beside himself, until a nice, satisfying burp bring the seed back up again. After such a close call, he declares that he will never eat watermelon again... but it's difficult to resist a favorite treat!

A simple show more text, with no more than a sentence or two per page, is paired with bold, bright illustrations to great effect in The Watermelon Seed. The color scheme, which features green and pink prominently, works very well on the page, while the various type-faces and sizes add to the storytelling fun. This title makes for an excellent story-time selection - I have seen it read aloud to great effect! - and taps in to the common childhood fantasy of a plant growing inside one's body, after a seed is swallowed. I seem to recall asking my mother whether this was possible, as a young girl. Recommended to anyone looking for entertaining tales for very young children! show less