An amazing book by an amazing, talented writer/illustrator... come and enjoy today's featured book!
Unwrapping...
Written and illustrated by
Marie Letourneau
Ages 3-7
Tanglewood Publishing , Inc.
Unwrapping some incredibly, fabulous illustrations ...
REVIEWS...
"Undaunted by the fierce spring winds, one determined woodland lad sets out to enjoy the day, in Marie Letourneau’s Argyle Fox, a lighthearted tale of tenacity, creative thinking, and the power of a woodland gale. Argyle Fox, sporting his signature diamond-patterned scarf, learns through trial and error, along with a lot of encouragement and some sound advice from his mom, that a little ingenuity can go a long way, especially on a blustery afternoon." https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/argyle-fox/
"PreS-Gr 2–Argyle Fox has a problem. He dons his classic diamond-patterned outerwear to play outdoors, but it is too windy in the forest. Every time he thinks of an activity, the wind comes along and “Woosh!”—it all gets blown away! Argyle becomes frustrated and grumpy when things don’t go his way. In the end, though, he learns that he just needs a little creativity and flexibility to have some fun. With his emphatic exclamations and imaginative role-playing, Argyle has a fully realized personality. The artwork is rich, engaging, and filled with endearing details. The other forest creatures, such as a gardening badger in overalls and a little blue bird with a pirate eye patch, are particularly charming. This is a cautionary tale that can provide social and emotional lessons for children who are easily frustrated or angered. As Argyle discovers, there is always a way to make the best out of a seemingly tough situation. VERDICT A perfect story for a windy day; the illustrations shine in this charismatic read-aloud addition to picture book collections."
-School Library Journal
My take...
Little Argyle Fox, named because of his fancy argyle scarf collection which was so lovingly knitted by his Mama, heads out on a springtime day to play. He discovers no matter what he conjures up to do the wind comes wooshing forcefully in and destroys all his plans. He gives up and head for home. Disgruntled he exclaims, "I'm never playing in the wind again, ever, ever, EVER again!"
His mother sensing his total frustration wisely suggests, "Perhaps if you think for a while, you will figure out something to play in the wind." "No I won't," Argyle grumbled. "Think Argyle," Mama Fox said softly as she closed the bedroom door.
Argyle took his Mama's advice and soon put his thoughts into action. Yes!!! He certainly could make this happen. With his brain popping from idea-overload he cuts, ties, knits, paints, tapes, and ... VOILÀ! He waits in the meadow to harness that strong, powerful wind and together they play and have loads of fun. All the other animals catch the spirit of play and join in the games too!!!
I am so impressed that Argyle has such a wonderful imagination all through the story. He is creative and happy and able to play all by himself and truly enjoys his own company. He also has a very loving Mama who encourages him to be a solo problem solver. Good for her!
"The story of Argyle teaches that failure is often a pathway to success and celebrates perseverance, creative thinking, and an old-fashioned springtime activity." I highly recommend this book.
Storywraps Rating... 5 +++ HUGS!!!!!
About the author/illustrator...
Marie Letourneau lives with her family on Long Island, NY. Born in Queens, NY, Marie family moved to Long Island at the age of 5 years old. She grew up in Babylon Village - a quiet little town on the south shore of Long Island. She has been interested in illustrating books for as far back as she can remember. As child, she would make little books out of paper and staples and give them to family members as gifts. Marie studied fine arts at Hoftsra University where she earned her BFA in the New College. She has done design work for (and appeared on) The Nate Berkus Show, and The Revolution with fashion icon Tim Gunn. In 2014, Marie was a finalist in the Martha Stewart American Made Awards for her stationery shop Le French Circus, on Etsy. She loves animals, beets, and roller skating. She is a former roller derby queen, and has two dogs and a cat (none of them skate) Marie is married with two children. Her greatest influences include, Ludwig Bemelmans, Maurice Sendak, Wes Anderson, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Theodor Seuss Geisel.
But bios can be so boring (ugh - who wrote that?)
Here are some random useless facts about me:
I love Beach Glass
I don't look good in hats
Calvin & Hobbes is the best cartoon ever
I love carnivals at night
Animal is my favorite muppet
I am a total Star Wars Geek
I love dogs and would have a whole pack if I could
Coffee is my favorite drink
Ben & Jerry's (need I say more?)
Pottery was one of my favorite classes in college
My sister and I were born in the same year (Jan-Dec)
I play roller derby - my derby alter ego is Jett Bruise #747
I have two dogs: Jolie and Rey. I also have a cat named Kristofferson, named after the little fox in Fantastic Mr. Fox - but mostly we just call him “Khat"
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It's a wrap.
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