Lenny & Lucy

by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead

Already unhappy about moving, on Peter’s first night in the new house where... read more

Already unhappy about moving, on Peter’s first night in the new house where he and his dad are now living, he imagines terrible things on the other side of the nearby bridge leading into a dark forest. So he constructs a sentinel out of pillows and blankets and names him Lenny. Peter decides Lenny is lonely guarding the bridge, and makes him a friend, called Lucy. Peter, Lenny, Lucy, and Peter’s dog, Harold, spend a long day together, but there is still a sense of emptiness. Then Millie, who lives next door, arrives. “She had binoculars that everyone could share (and a bag of marshmallows, too).” A quiet picture book text of big ideas and small moments is paired with soft, detailed charcoal and tempura illustrations that use color sparingly to a lovely effect. The art is finely tuned to the emotional tenor of the story as it moves from a sense of sadness and loneliness to brightness and connection, while adding small moments of whimsy. (Ages 4–8)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2016

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