The Blue Pebble by Anne-Gaëlle Balpe - OPTIONAL

The Blue Pebble  by Anne-Gaëlle Balpe, illustrated by Eve Tharlet, translated by Kathryn Bishop. PICTURE BOOK. Minedition, 2019 (North American edition). $18. 9789888341757

BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K, EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

A little figure wearing a hat and knee-length dress named Oli has found a curious blue pebble as he was walking under the daisies. He decides to keep it, though he does not know what it is good for. Others question him about this decision as he walks along, but he sticks to it, and eventually does, indeed, find the perfect use for it.

Originally printed in French, this translation includes delightful illustrations of this plucky hero and his various encounters. The text on each page, in contrast, is clunky and looks amateurish, like an afterthought. The repetitive format would make this a good read-aloud for your youngest students, and the ending lends itself to predicting what might be a good use for Oli’s newest discovery.

P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian