Odd Velvet [Hardcover]

Mary Whitcomb (Author), Tara Calahan King (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Velvet is odd. Instead of dolls that talk and cry, Velvet brings a milkweed pod for show and tell. She wins the class art contest using only an eight-pack of crayons. She likes to collect rocks. Even her name is strange-Velvet! But as the school year unfolds, the things Velvet does and the things that Velvet says slowly begin to make sense. And, in the end, Velvet's classmates discover that being different is what makes Velvet so much fun.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This inaugural picture book for both author and artist features an oddball girl whose differences teach her classmates to appreciate their own unique qualities. On the first day of school, while the other children bring the teacher cinnamon tea and potpourri, Velvet offers "an egg carton filled with seven rocks, her favorite red shoelaces, and a half a sparrow's egg." Velvet sports long red braids, enormous round glasses and candy-striped stockings, and when the children notice that she is not wearing a new dress, they point and laugh: "Where did she come from?" But the taunting never gets out of hand, thanks to the author's restraint and pictures that exaggerate the features of all the schoolchildren. King's double spreads play with shifts in proportion, conveying a sense of Velvet's isolation. In an especially effective spread of a field trip, Velvet sits alone on the bus explaining how she got her name as the scene outside emulates her description of the day she was born: "The sun was just rising over the mountains, and outside it looked as though the world had been covered with a blanket of smooth, soft, lavender velvet." Her classmates' attitude toward Velvet changes when she wins a school drawing contest, and her "oddness" is finally appreciated. This one's for anyone who feels different or who knows someone who's different; everyone will recognize Velvet . Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-From the first day of school, Velvet's classmates think that she is strange. When the other girls bring their dolls for show-and-tell, she brings a milkweed pod. With her purple dress, huge glasses, and peppermint-stick tights, this girl is clearly too odd to be picked as a play partner-or a friend. But slowly, her unique characteristics-her rock collection, her ability to draw lovely pictures with only the eight basic crayons-seem more interesting than strange, and a wonderful birthday party at her house cements the other children's acceptance of this imaginative child. Though the moral is pretty obvious, it doesn't detract from this lighthearted story about a youngster who is different. Color-pencil-and-pastel illustrations show the winsome Velvet and her classmates with exaggerated expressions and from a variety of perspectives. Both the artwork and the writing save the story from becoming too saccharine. A promising debut for both author and illustrator, and a commendable addition to libraries.
Tana Elias, Meadowridge Branch Library, Madison, WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811820041
• ISBN-13: 978-0811820042
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle tale of acceptance, January 22, 1999

By 

R. Cox "Mister Bob" (Greater Chuckatuck, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Odd Velvet (Hardcover)

Velvet has a golden childhood. She finds beauty and joy in the smallest things and the simplest pleasures. Seemingly without any concern for peer group criticism, she carries on unaffected by the observations and mild teasings of the other children in her class. Eventually, of course, they come to appreciate Velvet's perspective, and the class princess even considers her a friend (no small feat in real life). The skewed perspective of the illustrations works to bring the focal point to the fore. Squatters at the back of the classroom's reading rug can easily see the most important detail without being distracted by other detritus on the page. This book is one of those high-demand repeats in our kindergarten and first grade classes. On a larger scale we adults yearn to meet the parents of this special child. We are left to wonder if the family is of lesser means, or if they have discovered the richness of a simple life by having had that "other life" before children came along. Either way, they must clearly have one of those home environments of love and acceptance that thoughtful parents strive for.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A message of both acceptance of self and others, September 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Odd Velvet (Hardcover)

This book was given to my daughters (then ages 2 1/2 and 5) as a gift and continues to be a favorite a year later. They LOVE the pictures, which are charming and oddly appealing. The faces are multi-cultural as well. The books two messages are offered subtly but clearly. Velvet is confident in who she is and what she likes in spite of the other children -- what parent could hope for more! The other children, at first inclined to whisper about how "Odd" Velvet is, quickly become intrigued by, then enchanted with and eventually start to emulate Velvet and her so-called 'odd' (e.g. not like EVERYONE else) ways. This book is a simple yet a great way to open up discussions with children about the importance of both of these values. It's a favorite now on our 'to give' list.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A real help for our situation..., August 15, 2005

By 

Jodi Renshaw (Corinna, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Odd Velvet (Hardcover)

When I was a full-time nanny for a little girl who felt that she "didn't quite fit in" with her peers, I found this book to be so very helpful. We discovered it by accident at a local library - and we borrowed it so much that we had to purchase it.

The book simply depicts an imaginative, slightly "odd" young girl who at first is resisted by her classmates and then - without having to change who she is - eventually becomes accepted by them. Most tales of this kind have the "odd" character performing some kind of special deed in an effort to redeem themselves in the eyes of those who resist them (i.e. Tacky the Penguin). But what I love about this book is that Velvet does not have to "save the day" in order for her classmates to accept her. She just remains her - and they eventually come around to thinking that she is pretty cool just the way she is.

I understand the criticism that the story is boring. I conceed that it is not particularly adventurous, humorous, etc. But it is a story of validation for those who are different.