Cronin, D., Travis, R., & Lewin, B. (2004). Duck for President. Norwalk, CT: Weston Woods.
This award-winning team returns with a third story of farm animals with ambition. Duck is tired of doing his chores (mowing the lawn and grinding the coffee beans), and decides to hold an election to replace Farmer Brown. When he wins, Duck quickly realizes that running a farm requires too much hard work, and sets out to run for governor. With the help of the hens, and speeches "that only other ducks can understand," he eventually ends up running the country.
There is a garbage-filled, vacant lot on the street where Marcy lives. Instead of growing flowers in coffee cans like they usually do each spring, she and her friend Miss Rosa decide to plant a garden there. Old Man Hammer, who used to live in the building that was torn down, believes that they're getting their hopes up for nothing, but Marcy and Miss Rosa lease the spot from the city. Their enthusiasm and energy spread and everyone in the neighborhood joins together to create an urban oasis.
Dean, J. (2013). Pete the cat: Play ball!
Dean’s stoic Pete the Cat heads to the ballpark and does what he does best: react placidly. It’s the Rocks (the cats in red) versus the Rolls (yellow), and no matter how often Pete screws up—and it’s pretty often, as he strikes out, drops a catch, and overthrows—he reacts in the exactly same way: “But Pete is not sad. He did his best.” Again, much of Pete’s humor comes from Dean’s depiction of him as a dour, sleepy-looking fellow regardless of the emotions the text insists that he’s feeling. The purposely flat, simple watercolors further this low-key, cool-cat offering. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Daniel Kraus
Dean’s stoic Pete the Cat heads to the ballpark and does what he does best: react placidly. It’s the Rocks (the cats in red) versus the Rolls (yellow), and no matter how often Pete screws up—and it’s pretty often, as he strikes out, drops a catch, and overthrows—he reacts in the exactly same way: “But Pete is not sad. He did his best.” Again, much of Pete’s humor comes from Dean’s depiction of him as a dour, sleepy-looking fellow regardless of the emotions the text insists that he’s feeling. The purposely flat, simple watercolors further this low-key, cool-cat offering. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Daniel Kraus