Pirates and Princesses

July 11, 2011
Best friends since their "diaper days," Ivy and Fletch get a rude awakening when they hit kindergarten and encounter voluntary gender segregation: "hile Ivy and Fletch played on the swings together, all of the other girls were with the girls and the boys were with the boys." Will the allure of same-sex-only funâthe princess club for Ivy, pirates for Fletchâprove stronger than a lifelong friendship (all five years of it)? The Kargmans, a mother and daughter team (Sadie is eight), make their debut with a premise that's wryly attuned to budding boy-girl dynamics. But their literal, windy, and patronizingly cute prose ("And then came kindergarten, where the big kids go.... And nap time? That was gone, baby, gone") makes it all the more fortunate that Davenier (Miss Lina's Ballerinas) is on board. As always, her stylish watercolors delight, conveying empathy and humor in balletic, gossamer brush strokes, making the pages fly by and even the most heavy-handed messaging ("After all, there's a little pirate and princess in all of us") feel light on its feet. Ages 3â5.

August 1, 2011

When the pink and blue rules of kindergarten threaten best friends, they have to make a choice.

Five-year-olds Ivy and Fletch have been friends their whole lives. They have always been best pals, even holding hands during naptime together at preschool. But kindergarten is different. At the beginning, Fletch and Ivy swing together at recess, but soon the lines are drawn. The boys are on the pirate team, and the girls quickly form the princess team. The pink and blue war is on, with one lifelong friendship its first casualty. The mother-and-daughter team tells the story, but it's Davenier's energetic pencil-and-watercolor illustrations that give the story its heart. She captures all the action and emotion of the playground with a few deft pencil lines. Fletch and Ivy rarely lose sight of each other, but their friendship is appropriately platonic. Though the story ends as expected, it's nice to see that they figure out things for themselves, with no adult intervention, giving young readers some good ideas for when gender roles exert themselves in school.

Teachers especially will turn to this good-natured story; it will help open up a discussion about friendship that many children will profit from. (Picture book. 4-8)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2011

K-Gr 2-Ivy and Fletch have a very special relationship. They had been friends since birth and played together exclusively until kindergarten. Now their relationship is tested. Unlike nursery school, the boys and girls segregate themselves. The boys play pirates, and the girls play princesses during recess. Their worlds never collide until Ivy is captured by the pirates and Fletch comes to her rescue. The other children are shocked to see a boy stand up for a girl and it is difficult for them to understand that the two are friends. Ivy and Fletch proceed to join both factions and teach them games to play together. Davenier illustrates the story with kid-friendly sketched figures in pastel and watercolor, and her art shows much motion and emotion. Unfortunately, the delivery of the message is not well done. The text seems to have been created for a slightly older audience as some dialogue doesn't seem on target in a book meant for five-year-olds. Children may find the story too lengthy and lacking in appeal. This one misses the mark.-Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2011
Preschool-G Written by a mother-daughter team, this picture-book debut is based on the experiences of the younger of the pair, eight-year-old Sadie. Through cheery storytelling and Davenier's appealing illustrations, it overcomes a certain didacticism about bridging the playground divide between boys and girls. Ivy and Fletch are five-year-old friends for life; their mothers were friends before they were born. But when they go to recess on their second day of kindergarten, each one is summoned to a separate sideFletch to the boys' jungle-gym pirate ship and Ivy to the girls' princess playhouse palace. It may not surprise any reader, young or old, when Ivy and Fletch soon refuse to be separated and convince all the other kids that it is more fun to play together. Although the last page may be overly sweet, featuring a pyramid of cupcakes and the reminder that one of the best pirates' treasures is a cupcake with friends, the swirl of activity that the authors and illustrator have created sends a good message in a suitably diverting fashion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)