The Room of Wonders - Hardcover

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Kindergarten-Grade 4 Pius Pelosi, a young pack rat, has a spot set aside to house his collection of miscellaneous items. Full of curiosities, including twigs, feathers, sea glass, shells, and buttons, the room draws visitors from far and wide eager to learn about the objects and how the rodent discovered them. One item a very plain-looking small gray pebble is given particular prominence. Although it is special to him because it is the first thing he ever collected, his guests consider it too ordinary to display. Ultimately, he bows to their pressure, removing it and tossing it into the river. Saddened by its absence, Pius gives away the remaining articles and vows to stop searching for new ones. On his first venture out, however, he spies a small gray pebble and his interest in collecting is once again sparked. Ruzzier's gently told story is perfectly pitched for the picture-book crowd. The lesson is subtle but will lead to much discussion. The softly shaded illustrations, done in soothing pastel colors, show a medieval-looking village and the surrounding countryside. Pius, with his sweetly comical expressions, reflects the quiet tone of the text. In the tradition of Leo Lionni's Frederick and William Steig's Sylvester, Pius is a character worth meeting. Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA
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Gr. 1-3. Ruzzier, the illustrator of Lore Segal's Mole books, contributes both words and pictures to this unusual story about a pack rat who finds beauty in the discarded and overlooked. Visitors marvel at his finds, but they always criticize his first discovery: a plain, ordinary pebble. Pius loves it, but he falls to peer pressure and throws it away. Later, he thinks about the pebble instead of new discoveries, and nothing is fun. Despondent, he gives away all his objects, and then, feeling free and light, he finds another pebble that inspires treasure hunting once again. Illustrated in pale, ice-cream-colored spreads that seem as carefully composed as the smooth text, the story will work with several different age groups. An audience far older than the usual picture-book crowd may read the story as a philosophical meditation about the creative process and private inspiration. Younger children, however, will see their own special objects in Pius' stone and will feel his loss when he fails to listen to his heart. A thought-provoking parable for old and young alike. Pair with Mem Fox's Hunwick's Egg (2005). Gillian Engberg
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