Peach and Blue

From Publishers Weekly
A peach who longs to see the world gets help from a kindly blue frog. "Johnson and Fancher do their best with romantic, lushly colored illustrations," said PW. Ages 5-8. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-An odd, farfetched story about a blue-bellied toad and a living, breathing, talking peach. The unlikely pair establish a deep, sentimental friendship after Blue assists Peach in falling from her branch. She wants to see the world, but it is she who helps Blue to view his pondside home in a fresh, new way. He propels her around in a leaf-lined bowl made of twigs and mud while she rhapsodizes about the "harvest of colors" that she beholds. Although the text is clear and well written, the story itself is too serious, saccharine, and self-consciously philosophical. Dark, well-composed paintings beautifully depict each stage of the low-key adventure. Blue is portrayed realistically, as are the natural surroundings, while Peach sports a somewhat ghostly face, making her look like a disembodied bald head. There is little here to appeal to children. Kate Spohn's Fanny and Margarita (Viking, 1993) is an overtly whimsical tale about talking fruit that intends to make readers laugh.Valerie Lennox, Jacksonville Public Library, FLCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Ages 5-8. Despite the far-fetched casting--a blue-bellied toad and a peach--this old-fashioned tale of friendship radiates warmth and authenticity. One day Blue discovers Peach weeping up in a tree, longing to see the world beyond her branch. Forming a tower of toads, Blue and his siblings rescue her. As she drinks in the sights of the pond, Peach opens Blue's eyes to the beauty of the world that he takes for granted. In a bittersweet ending, Blue brings water and a willow branch dripping with tree milk to a peaked Peach. He tells her she can stay there forever, and Peach says she doesn't think she'll last forever. Blue replies, "That's okay. Not many folks do. But until then, you have me, and I have you." The generosity and mutual respect of these two characters serve as a wise reminder of what makes friendship prosper. Johnson and Fancher acknowledge the fantastic story line with lush, dreamy paints, while dodging the temptations of cuteness and condescension. In every respect, this is a standout title and particularly impressive as Kilborne's debut. Julie Walton


Review
"The generosity and mutual respect of these two characters serve as a wise reminder of what makes friendship prosper."--Booklist.  


From the Hardcover edition.


Review
"The generosity and mutual respect of these two characters serve as a wise reminder of what makes friendship prosper."--Booklist.  


From the Hardcover edition.


Book Description
Illustrated in full color. He is a blue-bellied toad hopping aimlessly through life. She is a sad peach yearning for escape and adventure. Then one remarkable day, Peach and Blue explore the pond that Blue calls home and awaken each other to a world neither has ever really seen before. Lush illustrations by the award-winning illustrating team of The Salamander Room and The Frog Prince, Continued perfectly complement this unique and graceful story.


From the Hardcover edition.


Card catalog description
A frog helps a peach see the world and the peach shows the frog sights he has never seen before.


From the Inside Flap
Illustrated in full color. He is a blue-bellied toad hopping aimlessly through life.  She is a sad peach yearning for escape and adventure.  Then one remarkable day, Peach and Blue explore the pond that Blue calls home and awaken each other to a world neither has ever really seen before.  Lush illustrations by the award-winning illustrating team of The Salamander Room and The Frog Prince, Continued perfectly complement this unique and graceful story.


From the Hardcover edition.


From the Back Cover
"The generosity and mutual respect of these two characters serve as a wise reminder of what makes friendship prosper."--Booklist.


From the Hardcover edition.


About the Author
Steve Johnson was born in White Bear Lake, Minnesota and earned a B.F.A. in illustration from the School of Associated Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota. Steve's stunning illustrations have been seen in many magazines, but it was not until Knopf asked him to illustrate No Star Nights in 1989 that he began his career as a children's book illustrator. Since then, Steve and his wife Lou Fancher has collaborated on the illustrations and design on a number of notable children's books.  They are currently among the most sought after of children's book artists. Steve and Lou fell in love with the My Many Colored Days manuscript at first sight, seeing in it an unusual opportunity to create something that is at once both childlike and sophisticated.  

Steve and Lou currently reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  


From the Hardcover edition.


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K-Gr 2-An odd, farfetched story about a blue-bellied toad and a living, breathing, talking peach. The unlikely pair establish a deep, sentimental friendship after Blue assists Peach in falling from her branch. She wants to see the world, but it is she who helps Blue to view his pondside home in a fresh, new way. He propels her around in a leaf-lined bowl made of twigs and mud while she rhapsodizes about the ``harvest of colors'' that she beholds. Although the text is clear and well written, the story itself is too serious, saccharine, and self-consciously philosophical. Dark, well-composed paintings beautifully depict each stage of the low-key adventure. Blue is portrayed realistically, as are the natural surroundings, while Peach sports a somewhat ghostly face, making her look like a disembodied bald head. There is little here to appeal to children. Kate Spohn's Fanny and Margarita (Viking, 1993) is an overtly whimsical tale about talking fruit that intends to make readers laugh.-Valerie Lennox, Jacksonville Public Library, FL


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