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FOR PETE'S SAKE by Ellen Stoll Walsh

FOR PETE'S SAKE

by Ellen Stoll Walsh & illustrated by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Pub Date: Oct. 1st, 1998
ISBN: 0-15-200324-X
Publisher: Harcourt

As an alligator among flamingos, Pete is a fish out of water. In a Stellaluna-like storyline, he notices some distinct differences, such as his color (green) and theirs (pink). He’s disturbed until he happens upon some fellow alligators, or, as Walsh puts it, “flamingos who looked just like Pete.” The happiest aspect of the story is the flamingos’ ready acceptance of Pete as one of their own; they exclaim over his luck in having two extra legs and reassure him that the best feathers take the longest to grow. Walsh’s cut-paper collages, like those in Pip’s Magic (1994), dexterously use flecked paper to add texture to the alligator’s skin and visible threads that suggest feathers on the flamingos. The simple green and pink animals stand confidently against white backgrounds, with only a hint of rock to stand on or water to wade in, accentuating shape for young onlookers. A comforting, gladdening tale. (Picture book. 3-8)