Vernon is on His Way: Small Stories by Philip C. Stead - ESSENTIAL

Vernon is on His Way: Small Stories by Philip C. Stead. PICTURE BOOK. Neal Porter (Roaring Brook), 2018. $20. 9781626726550

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL. 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

This book includes three separate stories about Vernon, a calm and kind frog, and his friends, a porcupine and a skunk.  One of the stories is called “Fishing” and follows the three friends as they go on a fishing adventure.  Porcupine is nervous because she doesn’t know how to fish, but it turns out none of them do and they conclude that fishing means talking to the fish as they pass.

I love the subtlety of this book.  The narrative is lengthy enough to feel like a very mild transition from picture books to chapter books, but is still sparse enough that the reader has to work a bit for the humor and meaning. Vernon is charming as a character and his friends are equally delightful. Like the tone of these stories, the illustrations are subdued and may not immediately appeal to young readers. 

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher