I first encountered the work of Philip and Erin Stead in A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Not sure how I missed them before that, but I quickly became a huge fan. Reading some of their brilliant books – whether as a collaboration or solo – I was amazed at their work. Some of my favorites of their books written and illustrated with others include And Then It’s Spring written by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin Stead and Special Delivery written by Philip Stead, illustrated by Matthew Cordell. When they work together, such as in Amos or A Bear Has a Story to Tell, it is magical. That is why I was super excited to see their new book, Lenny & Lucy, that is due out this fall.
Lenny & Lucy tells the tale of a little boy
named Peter who has moved. His new house is over the bridge from a scary forest
and he simply cannot get any sleep, even with his loyal dog, Harold, by his
side. He gets the idea to create a guard for the bridge named Lenny. Lenny is a
huge guard, created out of pillows and blankets that Peter stitches together.
When Peter fears that Lenny is lonely, he creates another guard, named Lucy. It
is with his creations and his beloved dog that Peter is able to begin to feel
safe at his new home.
In Lenny & Lucy the Steads show their
talent for storytelling and illustrations. There are several that I would love
to remove from the book and place on my wall. The words and pictures are simply
beautiful. This is a picture book you cannot miss.
My students
are even bigger fans of the Steads as of this week. Kohl’s began a campaign for
children’s health and education nationwide. It is called Kohl’s Cares. For only
$5 you can get a copy of one of the Steads’ books and another $5 will get
you a stuffed animal that goes with it. (More info on Erin’s blog HERE.) We now
have the elephant from Amos McGee
along with the turtle from And Then It’s
Spring in our classroom. You would be surprised by the amount of fifth
graders that want to cuddle with a stuffed animal during independent reading.
And today
is your lucky day. MacMillian is allowing me to give away a plush from the
Kohl’s Cares line along with the corresponding book to a lucky reader of Read Write Reflect. Please enter below
by Sunday evening at 10pm central and I will draw one winner. They will then
contact you about shipping you your prize! Good luck!
