Friday, June 18, 2010

Green Pieces: Green From the Pond Up - Drew Aquilina

Publisher:  Five Star Publication, Inc. (September 4, 2010)
Source:  Bostick communications for review

This book had two things I really enjoyed, comics and an educational look at our environment without letting people know they are being educated.  Drew Aquilina has created four memorable characters with their own personality.  They share their lives with each other in a pond.
We are introduced to Iggy a turtle who is laid back with an obsession for waxing his shell with "turtle wax" of course.  He is constantly being "bugged" by Radic the dragonfly.  This was the only character I didn't like.  I kept thinking about what a pest he was to everyone and wondering why someone didn't eat him.  His ideas usually created more problems for Iggy and he seemed only to think of himself.  Roc the raccoon was the fun character.  He parties hard and goes dumpster diving making it seem like he eats at five star restaurants. He was the spice to this pond.  My favorite character however, was Cabby the frog.  As a  young tadpole exposed to pollution, his legs didn't develop properly.  However, his brain was supersized.  He has a scientific mind and tries to solve all kinds of problems in the pond. 
Mr. Aquilina has created a good mix of characters and takes us through the four seasons in this, his first book.  I enjoyed other aspectsof the book such as the humor when we see a bear darted for gettng into the garbage cans.  We find out about a controversy linking birds to dinosaurs through the G.P.T.V. Public Access channel.  We don't really think about how animals feel when we dart them and then fit them with a radio colar until the opposite happens and the human is collared by the animal.
  This is a book that I can't wait to share with students and recommend to all of my adult friends.  I look forward reading more by this author.  I would recommend you check out his site at:  http://www.greenpiecescartoons.com/http://www.greenpiecescartoons.com/

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