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Lissy's friends -
Grace Lin.
New York : Viking, 2007.
1 v. : col. ill. ; 26 cm.
Annotations:
- Lissie is the new girl at school and very shy, so she makes origami friends to keep her company.
Best Books:
- Best Children's Books of the Year, 2008 ; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Reading Measurement Programs:
Accelerated Reader
Interest Level Lower Grade
Book Level 2.5
Accelerated Reader Points 0.5
Reviews:
- Gillian Engberg (Booklist, May 15, 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 18))
During her first day at her new school, Lissy feels ignored, so while eating lunch alone, she creates an origami bird to keep her company. Then the bird, which she names Menu, magically flutters to life. With Menu in her pocket, Lissy feels better, and she folds more paper friends. At the playground, Lissy spins her menagerie on the merry-go-‘round and loses them in the wind, but happily, a girl finds and returns Menu, and a new friendship begins. With a minimal, evenly paced text, Lin’s story captures authentic new-student feelings. Like many kids, Lissy works through her loneliness privately, rather than by telling a parent, but her inventive methods will reassure kids. Lin’s bright, cheerful paintings, enlivened with colorful, origami-paper-inspired patterns, boost the story’s comforting tone, and a final image, showing Lissy’s blown-away paper friends in Paris enjoying coffee, adds to the whimsy. Origami instructions appear on the endpapers. A solid choice for children harboring new-school anxieties, this will partner well with Helen Stephens’ Blue Horse (2003), which has a similar premise. Preschool-Grade 2Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
Poor Lissy finds that being the new girl in school is very lonely. Finishing her lunch early and seeking company, she makes a paper crane from the menu. To her surprise and delight, the crane she calls Menu blinks at her and flutters her wings. The next day, Lissy makes many more origami friends for herself from colored paper, so she is not alone any more. One day, she takes these new friends to the playground. Soon, they are spinning so fast on the merry-go-round that the wind carries them away. But a girl there finds Menu and asks Lissy to show her how she made it. Soon, Lissy has real friends. The cover illustration displays the emphasis Lin places on the decorated papers she uses for her visualization of the simple, imaginative story. Lissy uses these to make her many animal friends, but they also appear throughout the pages as wallpaper, rugs, furniture coverings, an umbrella, and clothing. The overall impression is decorative, in keeping with the light-hearted but mystical narrative. Instructions for folding a paper crane appear on the back end-pages. 2007, Viking/Penguin Young Readers Group, $15.99. Ages 4 to 7.Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 9))
Shy Lissy feels alone with no friends at her new school. By herself at lunch, she transforms the red menu into an origami paper crane that, in her imagination, comes to life. Encouraged by her solution to her loneliness, Lissy continues to fold and bend paper each day, creating a menagerie of origami animals to keep her company. But her paper friends are too light for a strong wind at the playground, and in the blustery weather are carried away through the air. Only the crane remains, rescued by another little girl who returns it to Lissy and initiates a new friendship. Soon Lissy's circle of friends expands as she provides origami instruction in exchange for camaraderie. Set against a background of origami design papers, Lin's bright colorful paintings of an Asian girl amid a diverse group of children bring out the typical theme of friendship juxtaposed with the symbolism of the paper crane representing peace and happiness. A quiet, tender story of one child's coping strategy with a successful and creative outcome. Instructions for origami paper crane appended. 2007, Viking, 40p, $15.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 4 to 6. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Subjects:
- Origami Fiction.
Bashfulness Fiction.
Friendship Fiction.
Schools Fiction.
| Language | Call Number | LCCN | Dewey Decimal | ISBN/ISSN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English (eng) | PZ7.L644 Lis 2007 |
2006031029 |
[E] |
9780670060726 (hardcover) 0670060720 |