Are We Pears Yet?

July 17, 2017
Paul (10 Little Ninjas) and Berger (Good Night! Good Night!) transport readers to a music hall stage, complete with footlights, and present a theatrical revue starring two pear seeds. One is smaller, impatient, and endlessly interrogative, playing a Costello role to the taller, savvier seed’s Abbott. As their rat-a-tat repartee appears in speech balloons, the stages of the seeds’ growth are ushered in with low-tech props and costume changes: when the bigger seed explains that they can’t grow without rain, a member of the stage crew (an eccentric bunch of birdlike figures in top hats) materializes with a curtain rod from which hangs a cutout cloud and raindrops. The story gets a little complicated as the seeds grow into trees and it becomes clear that they’ll produce pears rather than become them (the smaller seed channels readers’ potential confusion). But Berger’s quirky collages are so stylish and fun, and Paul’s dialogue so friendly and funny, that it’s easily forgiven. An inventive treatment of a tried and true topic. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary.

August 1, 2017
Paul (The Great Pasta Escape, 2017, etc.) merges theatrical farce with informational picture book in this latest.If pears could stage a production to tell the story of their life cycle, this would be that show. Two excited young seeds, one depicted as feminine (with a little red hat and a decorative flower) and especially anxious, the other a masculine know-it-all (accessorized with a bow tie and a cane), announce they are going to be pears as this biological play begins. First, of course, the seeds need soil, rain, and sunshine. Then they must settle in for a long nap--a 2-year-long one! Even after their long nap the anxious seed is disappointed to find they are still only saplings. It takes three more years before they grow into fruit-bearing trees. Throughout the book, Berger's collage art harkens to the theater, illustrating footlights, stagehands, and props, even breaking the flow of the speech-bubble dialogue when a big costume change comes midway through a dispute between the two leads. The use of gendered portrayals of the seedlings raises the question of pollination in the creation of fruit without addressing the roles of botanical male and female contributions. Nevertheless, this cute and simple story brings readers back to the cycle of life as the female pear reveals that she harbors new seeds with which the play's action may begin again. Backmatter offers further information on pear growth, a handful of pear trivia, and a bibliography. These pears will be fun read-aloud companions for curious eaters and budding botanists. (Informational picture book. 5-8)

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October 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2- Two seeds explain the growth cycle of pear trees from seeds needing soil, water, and sun to trees bearing fruit two years later. The banter between the seeds and the pear puns are amusing as one seed repeatedly asks, "Are we pears yet?" The story, written all in dialogue, is staged as a play complete with costume changes. Paul successfully breaks down this complex science concept and turns it into a clever stage show. An encore explains how the author came up with the idea, five "peary" smart facts share interesting information, and the credits double as a bibliography. Berger's cut-paper collages set the stage and give the feel of a school play with text bubbles and stick scenery. VERDICT This whimsical story about plant science is a welcome informational picture book addition. Perfect for one-on-one and small group sharing.- Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga Public Library System, OH

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