Ollie & Moon

by Diane Kredensor, Diane Kredensor (Illustrator), Sandra Kress (Photographer)

Overview

Ollie and Moon are best friends, and Ollie loves surprising Moon almost as much as Moon loves guessing Ollie's surprises. Today, Ollie has the best surprise yet for Moon, and she can't wait to guess what it is! As they gambol through the streets of Paris, hints about the surprise accumulate every step of the way. Will Moon guess Ollie's surprise before they reach it? Tickled readers will be guessing right alongside Moon!

Diane Kredensor is an Emmy award-winning children's television director and artist. She was inspired to write this "buddy story" by her love of people, her love of travel, and her love of cheese! The distinctive art style features Diane's bold, stylized characters superimposed atop Sandra Kress's charming photographs of Paris. French words and landmarks add to the fun. This delightful friendship story will keep readers laughing as they join Ollie and Moon on their cumulative guessing game through the City of Light.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375966989
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	04/26/2011
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

DIANE KREDENSOR's formative years were spent dressing her dog in old baby clothes and reading MAD magazine, and her grown-up years have been spent pursuing a successful career in animation in Los Angeles and New York. She still hasn't grown up all the way, for which she's proud. Diane is an Emmy award-winning artist for her work on such hit shows as Pinky and the Brain, The Animaniacs, Oswald, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and WordWorld, to name a few. Her first animated cartoon, Call Me Bessie! recently aired on Nicktoons Network. This is the first children's book she has written and illustrated. Diane happily lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her partner, their son, and two cats who bear a passing resemblance to Ollie and Moon. Visit Diane at DianeKredensor.com

SANDRA KRESS grew up in a suburb of Detroit and fell in love with photography after receiving a camera for her 15th birthday. She is an alumna of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and the International School of Photography in New York City. Sandra lives in Paris. Visit Sandra at SandraKress.co

Editorial Reviews

Sweet and clever and a pure delight!” —Dan Yaccarino

"Just when Moon seems weary, Ollie knows how to cheer her up with a quick break to take funny snapshots in front of Parisian icons. Then it’s back to guessing Ollie’s best surprise yet, which is sure to wow young children as much as it does Moon. Bien fait." - Kirkus Reviews

"This is a charming picture book with photos from Paris that children will enjoy picking up again and again. Get yourself a copy!" - Book Faerie (blog)

"My mini literature critics gave Ollie and Moon an enthusiastic thumbs up, giggling over cartoon characters exploring Parisian landmarks they know so well." - La Mom Paris (blog)

"Unique and utterly charming" - Through the Looking Glass Review (blog)

From the Publisher

PreS-Gr 2—Cartoon cats Ollie and Moon are good friends; Ollie likes to surprise his pal and Moon likes to guess what might be in store for her. It's with this premise, against a photographic backdrop of Paris, that the felines tour the city and ask and answer questions about the nature of Ollie's special treat. Multiple clues, a bit of deductive reasoning, and some meandering lead the friends to one of the city's beautiful carousels. The story of these goofy, expressive, and always-moving cats is evidence of Kredensor's skill and background in animation. Kress's photographs are vibrant and represent iconic images of France. Unfortunately, there is no textual reference to the setting; some notations would have helped extend the slight story line. Useful for teaching categorization and deductive reasoning, this title will circulate for the sheer fun of it.—Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC

School Library Journal

In the main story line of Kredensor's debut, cartoon cat Ollie offers a surprise to his friend Moon. With mounting excitement, she asks questions and collects clues that accumulate throughout the pages. "So my surprise is... ROUND and MUSICAL, it has LOTS OF COLORS, it has FUR, HOOVES, and FEATHERS, and it's BRIGHT with LIGHTS!" (Spoiler: it's a carousel ride.) It's an oddly unfocused work; it feels like the second volume of a series whose first volume has gone missing. Kredensor's drawings of the two goggle-eyed cats are shown against Kress's photographs of Paris, where the duo lives, and French vocabulary is sprinkled throughout ("Ollie's stomach was growling, so they stopped at the fromagerie to buy some Brie"). Laughs are thrown in whether they advance the story or not; on the title page, a Paris toilet is the vehicle for some light bathroom humor, as Ollie emerges with paper stuck to his paw; elsewhere, he surprises Moon in another bathroom. It's entertainment, but not the stuff memories are made of—despite the Parisian setting. Ages 3?6. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly