Artie and Julie

by Chih-Yuan Chen, Chih-Yuan Chen (Illustrator)

Overview

Artie was a happy little lion, and Julie was a happy little rabbit—until one day Julie was sent to the grassland to eat grass, and Artie was sent to the grassland to eat . . . rabbit! Distracted from their destinations, they both discover a delicious jellyberry patch. Driven by a sudden storm into a nearby cave, they become friends before they know they are meant to be enemies. Each returns home with a new friend, a tuft of each other's fur as a keepsake, and a surprising story to tell their parents. A unique design adds depth to this clever tale—when Artie and Julie are apart their parallel stories are told on separate split pages, but when the two become friends the pages join together as well. Filled with playful art that adds a whimsical tone, this amusing story encourages young readers to overlook differences and demonstrates that fear should never be an obstacle to friendship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780978755034
Publisher:	Heryin Books, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2008
Pages:	1
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Chih-Yuan Chen is an illustrator of children's stories and the bestselling author of The Best Christmas Ever, The Featherless Chicken, Guji Guji, and On My Way to Buy Eggs, which was named a Best Children's Book by Publishers Weekly.

Editorial Reviews

Selected as one of ten 2009 Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts by the NCTE's Children's Literature Assembly committee. The list honors books 

that "demonstrate uniqueness in the use of language or style; involve word play, word origins, or the history of language; and invite child response or participation."

"Chen follows up a celebration of unlikely siblings in Guji Guji (2004) with an equally captivating look at an unusual friendship. As related in parallel split-page narratives, Artie the lion gets extensive instruction from his father in hunting yummy rabbits, while Julie the rabbit's father carefully trains her to escape fierce lions. Simultaneously venturing out into the wild, the two younglings stuff themselves on jellyberries, take refuge from a storm in the same cave and instantly bond . . . A worthy addition to any "waging peace" list. —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

K-Gr 2

Artie is a happy little lion, and he's supposed to hunt rabbits. Julie is a happy little rabbit, and she's supposed to avoid lions. Their tedious stories are told simultaneously, on pages that have been cut in half. "Artie's story" fills the top portion of the book, with "Julie's story" below. Each animal dutifully submits to its parent's training until finally, after many grueling lessons, both are ready to set out for the grasslands alone. But they stop at the jellyberry patch instead, where they are caught in a storm and seek shelter in the same dark cave. The two sworn enemies spend the rest of their day playing together, and then go home. Chen's illustrations are winsome enough and feature a cool palette, smiling critters, and variegated landscapes. But the format doesn't work well: the pages stubbornly flop shut and get mixed up, and it's a struggle even for adult hands to keep them in order. If nothing else, this pitched battle keeps readers busy and interested, because the story doesn't.-Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC

School Library Journal

Chen follows up a celebration of unlikely siblings in Guji Guji (2004) with an equally captivating look at an unusual friendship. As related in parallel split-page narratives, Artie the lion gets extensive instruction from his father in hunting yummy rabbits, while Julie the rabbit's father carefully trains her to escape fierce lions. Simultaneously venturing out into the wild, the two younglings stuff themselves on jellyberries, take refuge from a storm in the same cave and instantly bond. After a day of playing leaping and roaring games, the two return to their respective homes and relate to their befuddled parents a role-reversing bedtime story about making friends. The two new friends' meeting and play take place on traditional full pages, splitting again as they go their separate ways home-a nifty device. Though Julie's large, red spike heels strike an odd visual note, the pictures' soft hues and smiling, simply drawn cartoon animal figures score high on child appeal. A worthy addition to any "waging peace" list. (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews