Petra

The heroes of adventure stories often have some control over their own fates; Petra only thinks she does. She's a smooth, egg-shaped rock who looks like a beluga coming up for air. She makes airy pronouncements about her nature as a rock: "Nothing can move me. Not the wind. Not time." Then a dog appears chasing a stick, and the view pulls back to reveal that Petra is small enough for the dog to pick up in its mouth--which it does. The dog owner's slingshot sends Petra into a bird's nest, and Petra cheerfully retools her image of herself: "I am an egg of the world, in a world of possibility." Italian author-illustrator Coppo keeps her spreads simple, smooth, and stylish, painting pared-down forms on clean white backdrops. Petra's thoughts are represented with quiet wit (she imagines hatching into a penguin, or a platypus), and her unplanned flights are traced with dashed lines. Change may be the only constant in Petra's peripatetic existence, but her bubbly optimism is as solid as Gibraltar. "I'm a rock," she concludes, "and this is how I roll." Ages 3-7. (Feb.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 1--A rock imagines all the things she could be in this whimsical and uplifting story. Petra thinks of herself as a mountain, immovable and fearless--until a dog comes along and picks her up. Only then do readers learn that she is a rock. She is tossed into a nest and becomes an egg, and imagines grand possibilities there: she could be a dragon, a penguin, or even an amazing platypus. By the book's end, Petra, having become a multitude of different things, declares her plight to be "not bad at all" and wonders what she will become next. This story is a quiet lesson in perspective and finding the silver lining in situations beyond one's control. Petra is never short on optimism and only shows a bit of worry. The soft color palette creates a sense of calm, and Coppo has managed to create a rock with personality whose simple yet evocative expressions show both contentment and curiosity. Petra's motto, that there's no need to worry because she's a rock, and "this is how I roll," will resonate with many. VERDICT A worthwhile addition to all libraries and storytime collections.--Mary Kuehner, Arapahoe Library District, CO

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

One of Brooklyn Public Library's Favourite Books of 2018
A Goodreads Choice Awards Picture Book Finalist
One of Book Riot's 38 Children's Book Gift Ideas for Clueless Grown-Ups

PRAISE FOR Petra

Meet Petra, a smooth grey oval of possibility... a pleasantly intelligent book. —Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews

[S]imple, smooth, and stylish... Change may be the only constant in Petra's peripatetic existence, but her bubbly optimism is as solid as a Gibraltar. —Starred Review, Publisher's Weekly

You've never seen a cuter rock... Petra's unmitigated confidence in an unpredictable world make(s) it a keeper. —Starred Review, Booklist