Poppy & Ella [Hardcover]

Jeff Kaminsky (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Two best friends, Poppy and Ella, enjoy lunch, a day at the beach, and a power outage together.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-These slight stories deal with the ups and downs of friendship. First, Poppy tries to enhance his appearance by taping blue paper feathers all over himself with embarrassing results. In "To Beach His Own," the two birds go to the seashore, but can't agree on anything until the ice-cream dog appears. The last tale describes Ella's fear of the dark and Poppy's ingenious solution. The humorous, colorful cartoons are small and surrounded by plenty of white space, giving the pages a simple, uncluttered look. Clever details like the pictures on the wall, the storm clouds over the bickering friends, and the flashlights surrounding a frightened Ella heighten interest. Arnold Lobel's "Frog and Toad" series (HarperCollins) as well as James Marshall's "George and Martha" books (Houghton) are more appealing stories of friendship, but larger collections may want to add Poppy.-Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (January 1, 1900)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786805110
• ISBN-13: 978-0786805112
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #595,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful stories of two best friends!, November 4, 2000

By 

Susie (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poppy & Ella (Hardcover)

I'm a mother of two boys ages 3 and 6...they both loved this book! It's playful, fun and shares valuable lessons about friendship. These are two silly, wonderful birds! For weeks it was all my 3 year old wanted to read. They both walked around the house quoting the book. "Looking good...feeling good!" is their favorite. It's hard for me to find one book that entertains them both and this one fits the bill. This is sure to be on my Christmas list for nieces and nephews this year. Hope we see more of these wonderful characters.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars unconditional love, April 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Poppy & Ella (Hardcover)

This book is like getting three books for the price of one! I bought it because the birds on the cover were so adorable, but I got much more than I bargained for. With the simplest stroke of a brush, Jef Kaminsky can communicate glee or anger, embarassment or pride--but that's not all. The text is hilarious. I just about fell off my chair when Ella called Poppy a "goober" and it nearly killed me when Poppy combed his hair, looked in the mirror and said, "Lookin' good, feelin' good." That's what I do in the morning if I'm feeling really fine. Even the titles of the individual stories are clever: "Ruffled Feathers", "To Beach His Own," and "Darkness Falls." Just like a funny old married couple, Poppy and Ella find ways to resolve their differences that are at once poignant and funny. I loved this book, and if you love George and Martha, you're sure to get a kick out of these old birds. A hundred thumbs up!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Favorite of My Four-Year Old Daughter's, January 11, 2005

By 

Bachelier ""1004"" (Ile de France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poppy & Ella (Hardcover)

This book needs six stars, for the delightful drawings alone. Jeff Kaminsky's "Poppy & Ella" has been an excellent, valuable addition to our children's bookshelf, and is a frequent selection by my daughter when she chooses a book herself for our bedtime stories. She loves the colorful characters, and even makes attempts to imitate them in her own artwork. Although she cannot read yet, at this point she knows the lines by heart, and frequently corrects me if I start to "tell the story wrong." "Poppy & Ella" combines Jef's colorful, deceptively simple, yet fully expressive drawings with three tales that touch particularly on the lives of children (and all of us). In one story, confidence, personal image, and embarrassment are the themes, treated in a tender way, with friendship making the stretch to fill the breach. In another tale, raising the issues of communication and compromise and working through problems challenges friendship itself. In another tale, the common fear of the dark is the subject matter, and children can easily identify with the feelings of the characters. Parents will be delighted with all these short moral lessons, for each tale gently demonstrates very human weaknesses while pointing to healthy values of personal growth supported by caring and understanding in friendship. This is one of those rare books that both parents and children will love. Full disclosure: I grew up a few doors away from the author and we were childhood friends. My enthusiasm for this book is in no way a `plug' colored by that friendship, but I am happy to draw attention to this wonderful, delightful treasure, and can only hope he produces more tales of "Poppy & Ella."