Pinky and Rex

Howe, James. Pinky and Rex. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1990. 40 pages. $15.00. ISBN 9780689314544.

Summary:

Best friends Pinky and Rex are thrilled to visit the natural history museum, but there’s one downside: Pinky’s little sister, Amanda, is coming too. Pinky must say goodbye to his collection of stuffed animals and the friends realize that they have the exact same number, twenty-seven in all! Amanda is upset because she has fewer and wishes that Pinky and Rex would share with her. When they arrive at the museum, Amanda wants to see the dinosaurs first, but Pinky and Rex like to save the best for last. To conclude their trip, they make a stop in the gift shop and all three kids want the same pink stegosaurus! What would happen if Pinky or Rex had one more stuffed animal and they didn’t match anymore? Nobody has enough money to make the purchase on their own, and in the end a cooperative solution emerges.

Curriculum Connections:

Pinky and Rex push the limits of gender stereotyping. Pinky, a boy, loves pink. Rex, a girl, loves dinosaurs. Their individual quirks are not dwelled upon, but presented in a straightforward manner. Most classrooms have students at various places on the gender spectrum. In the early grades, it can be particularly illuminating to explore gender attributes with students and bring awareness to individual differences and similarities. This method promotes inclusiveness as well as support for all the ways that boys can be boys and girls can be girls.

Personal Reflections:

I love Pinky’s tenderness, as he says goodbye to his animals: “Some [animals] he patted because they didn’t care to be hugged first thing in the morning. And some, like his spider and his porcupine, he didn’t touch at all because they didn’t care to be hugged ever.”

Awards:

Age/Interest Range:

6-10

Genre/Themes:

Gender, Nonsexist literature, Friendship, Family, Social Skills

Read-Alikes:

The Cam Jansen series (Adler) is written at a similar level, and features themes of inter-gender friendship in addition to a good mystery.

Frog and Toad Are Friends

Lobel, Arnold. Frog and Toad Are Friends. Illustrated and read by Arnold Lobel. Harper Audio, 1990. $12.95. ISBN 9780694000272.

Summary:

A classic tale of friendship and small adventures, and an exemplar of the early reader format, Frog and Toad Are Friends has a place on every K-2 bookshelf. This book and cassette set includes a paperback version of the 1971 Caldecott Honor book and an unabridged recording of the author reading each of the five stories. In each story (“Spring,” “The Story,” “A Lost Button,” A Swim,” and “The Letter”), Lobel gives voice to Toad’s melancholic side and Frog’s exuberance for life. “The Lost Button” is particularly hilarious: Toad becomes more and more upset, as the world seems to be filled with buttons that are not his! There are some studio sounds, as when the calendar pages are being torn off or the splash of landing in the water, as well as page-turning signals on side one.

Curriculum Connections:

For readers who are working on gaining fluency with reading aloud, this read-along book and cassette set is an essential addition to the classroom listening station. Readers can follow along in the text, while listening to Arnold Lobel, a fluent and expressive reader.

Personal Reflections:

Not all authors are great readers of their own work. But Lobel is perfect! His voice is just how I imagined Frog and Toad would sound. He gives excellent inflection and expression to their voices and interactions.

Awards:

Caldecott Honor Book, 1971.

Age/Interest Range:

PreK-8

Genre/Themes:

Friendship, Humor, Early Reader

Read-Alikes:

This book belongs with other Early Reader classics, such as Lobel’s Mouse Tales and Minarik’s Little Bear stories.