Petra
by Marianna Coppo
2018
Petra is a children's picture book about a little rock with a big imagination. I got it as a present for my sister, who's recommended me so many of the kids' books I've enjoyed. This one is intended for pretty young readers, and might help encourage them to dream widely about what sort of person they'd like to become.
When we first meet Petra, she tells us she's a mountain. She boasts about her history, her might. But then! a perspective shift. A dog fetching a stick spots Petra and picks her up instead. The human, annoyed, tosses Petra into a tree, where she lands in a bird's nest. Now Petra imagines she's an egg. She hopes to hatch into a dragon, a penguin, a platypus. (A good conversation starter, I think.) The bird returns and drops Petra in a pond. Now she imagines she's a mighty island. A different human comes by and picks Petra up again. But this time, she's brought home, painted to look like an elephant, and given a place of honor. Petra is surprised, but happy.
Coppo narrates the book from the little rock's perspective. We see that she really believes in each new idea she tells us. I like the detail that the rock is named Petra, like the ancient city carved directly into the stone of cliff faces, like the Greek prefix petro- for things related to stones. Coppo's illustrations are watercolor. They also center Petra's perspectives, bringing each of her imaginings to life, and showing her at a scale that matches her current role - filling the page as a mountain, tiny compared the bird or humans or dog.
When we first meet Petra, she tells us she's a mountain. She boasts about her history, her might. But then! a perspective shift. A dog fetching a stick spots Petra and picks her up instead. The human, annoyed, tosses Petra into a tree, where she lands in a bird's nest. Now Petra imagines she's an egg. She hopes to hatch into a dragon, a penguin, a platypus. (A good conversation starter, I think.) The bird returns and drops Petra in a pond. Now she imagines she's a mighty island. A different human comes by and picks Petra up again. But this time, she's brought home, painted to look like an elephant, and given a place of honor. Petra is surprised, but happy.
Coppo narrates the book from the little rock's perspective. We see that she really believes in each new idea she tells us. I like the detail that the rock is named Petra, like the ancient city carved directly into the stone of cliff faces, like the Greek prefix petro- for things related to stones. Coppo's illustrations are watercolor. They also center Petra's perspectives, bringing each of her imaginings to life, and showing her at a scale that matches her current role - filling the page as a mountain, tiny compared the bird or humans or dog.
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