Ramona Bădescu

When Pomelo the garden elephant passes his favorite dandelion and discovers that it looks rather small, he realizes that he himself has grown. This change precipitates a period of intense questioning, as he begins to wonder just what growing up entails, and what it will mean. He wonders what happens on the inside, to cause growth on the outside, and wonders if everyone grows at the same rate. Does growing up entail growing old? Will he turn gray when he's grown? In the end, Pomelo discovers show more that he is no longer as afraid as he once was, setting out from his garden on a voyage of exploration...

Originally published in France as Pomelo grandit, and translated into English by the wonderful Brooklyn-based Enchanted Lion Books, Pomelo Begins to Grow presents a gently contemplative, and ultimately thought-provoking look at an issue of interest to all children: growing up. Some of the issues that Pomelo considers may have also occurred to the young reader/listener, while others might be new to him, but by presenting her elephantine hero as a young person with lots of questions, Ramona Badescu highlights the importance and validity of questioning itself, as an essential component of the maturation process. The artwork by Benjamin Chaud is colorful, quirky and appealing, depicting Pomelo and his friends in any number of whimsically amusing ways, depending upon the question and/or imagining being discussed in the text. I particularly liked Pomelo's winding trunk! Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books with a more philosophical bent, or who enjoys Benjamin Chaud's artwork. show less

After several readings, I became intrigued by Pomelo. It's certainly different, but it grows on you. So I thought I'd try out his next book. This one is different than the first, but still different in the same way, if you get my meaning.

First, it's an oddly formatted book. It's about 6x6 inches square and very thick and it has about 60 pages. It cycles through a variety of colors, starting with "When everything begins to seem black and white, Pomelo looks around and suddenly show more rediscovers...the silent white of the blank page."

It goes on through different whites, then yellows (I foresee some parents complaining about "the always different yellow of wee-wee"). Each different type of color nuance has a separate page. "the acidic yellow of lemon" is cute, with Pomelo having little shaky lines around him as he touches the lemon with his trunk. After yellow comes orange, "the melancholy orange of autumn" and then "the promising red of ripening strawberries". Some of the comparisons are solid objects, others are more abstract like "the explosive red of anger" and "the starry-eyed pink of romance." The book continues to cycle through brown, purple, blue, green, gray, and back to black. It ends with a rainbow.

The art has a distinctive European flavor. There are, of course, lots of strong, bold colors and lines but there's also odd shapes, unique to this artist's style. I think kids would like the small format and the different comparisons and colors, but some of the vocabulary seems very advanced for the age of child who normally reads concept/color books. Many of the comparisons seem to be more abstract as well.

Verdict: It's interesting, but I still can't decide if I want to buy it or not. Is it too old for its audience? Too European for my small town? I have put it into my backlist wishlist until I can decide.

ISBN: 9781592701261; Published October 2012 by Enchanted Lion Books; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

“Pomelo Begins to Grow”

I liked the fantasy story, Pomelo Begins to Grow, by Ramona Badescu and Benjamin Chaud. The story takes oneself on a journey from the perspective of a youngster. The main character is a young elephant that lives in a garden. The big idea is that he is noticing that he is growing up.
Mostly, the illustrations and the plot were inviting and made the story entertaining. The whimsical illustrations keep the audience’s attention with silly pictures of friendly show more creatures that are found in Pomelo’s garden. Pomelo wonders how his body is going to get bigger. He is curious about the rate that his body parts will grow. The illustrator did a great job depicting a scene where Pomelo is contemplating how his body would look if his body parts only grew one at a time.
The plot, or storyline, was easy to follow and showed an element of anxiety. Pomelo was anxious to grow up, and he was also nervous about what growing up meant. This was evident when he realized that he had to eventually say goodbye to his friends in the garden and step out into the big world. show less

A decent 'growing-up' book, with striking and inventive illustrations. It's a little overly "teachy", but children going through their own growing pains with relate with Pomelo and see themselves in his story.