Pick of the Day: Perfectly Percy

This winsome tale about a porcupine and a balloon would make a perfect choice for toddler storytimes.

stylized porcupine and blue balloonSCHMID, Paul. Perfectly Percy. illus. by author. 40p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-180436-6. LC 2011030447. PreS-K–Percy is a porcupine with a problem. He loves balloons, but when he plays with them, they meet an unfortunate end. Big sister Pearl offers a creative, albeit “not very practical,” solution of sticking marshmallows onto his quills. Determined to find a better way, Percy “thought things all day. He thought thoughts through the night.” Inspiration strikes at breakfast, and the following page shows the prickly fellow sporting a cereal bowl on his head as he happily runs along with his favorite toy. The simple sentences are invitingly conversational in tone (“What’s a little porcupine to do?”). Schmid’s winsome charcoal and pastel illustrations show a charming, roly-poly character with dots for eyes and a tiny dash for a mouth. Percy’s features droop when he looks at his “trezr” chest full of deflated balloons, but a proud smile appears when he comes up with his own idea. A good choice for toddler storytimes.–Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

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