The Fabulous Flying Fandinis by Ingrid Slyder

Of all the books that I have read so far, I think the illustrations here were my favorites. Why? They are awesomely detailed starting with the title page and going all the way through. Also, there all pictures on both sides of the pages, the main one is on the right with an ornate border and there is another on the left that is less formal and compliments the other illustration. Excellent show of fore-shortening and perspective, a lot of them are looking down from above which isn't a perspective you see a lot, its unique. There is wonderful movement and rhythm throughout also. The text is written in such a way that the paragraphs are mostly split up and on different parts of the page. Really, I feel like the illustrations are really the star of the show here just because there isn't a whole lot of text. However, there really didn't need to be because the message was heard loud and clear. There are really three morals at work here. First of all, the Fandini family is different and the rest of the neighborhood is content to judge them and not ask questions. The Brown family though has a different view, all they see is a friendly family and they encourage their son, Bobby, to play with their kids. Despite thinking that this new family might have cooties, Bobby goes to play with them. Enter the second lesson. Bobby refuses to take part in any of the family activities stating that "I could catch a cold, belly flop, or much, much worse" or "I might get queasy, lose a tooth or much worse." Finally, the Fandinis ask Bobby why he doesn't want to join in with them and he says because he might look stupid. To this the Fandinis say not if he holds their hands and asks how its done, so he does and Bobby doesn't look stupid after all. So what have we learned here? Don't judge a book by its cover, don't be afraid to try new things, and with your friends you cant fail.

This book recommended for students aged 4 to 8. There would be so much good stuff in here to share with students. There are plenty of pictures to look at and discuss, a good word set and several good morals to focus on. All in all I would recommend this book.