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Pomelo

Pomelo et les contraires

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Une farandole de couples de mots contraires, vus à travers les yeux et l'humour délicat de notre Pomelo :
- les classiques : fermé/ouvert, loin/proche, haut/bas ;
- des surprenants : banal/exceptionnel, possible/impossible, rêve/réalité ;
- des subtils : éphémère/éternel, question/réponse, voir/regarder ;
- des farfelus : quelque chose/n'importe quoi, roudoudou/pas roudoudou, En veux-tu ?/en voilà !

Un imagier jubilatoire qui livre aux petits des clés étonnantes pour décoder le monde qui les entoure et avancer dans la vie.

120 pages

First published January 1, 2011

46 people want to read

About the author

Ramona Badescu

58 books11 followers

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5 stars
52 (24%)
4 stars
75 (34%)
3 stars
64 (29%)
2 stars
18 (8%)
1 star
7 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for Lee Klein .
911 reviews1,054 followers
April 27, 2014
Not sure if these opposites were translated into English but they often aren't opposites at all and very often the illustrations didn't clearly illustrate the oppositions. Not sure it's a good idea to indoctrinate children with the concept of artificial binaries but this book allowed me to talk way over my 14.5-month old daughter's head about how handsome and weird are inexact opposites and how the world needs less opposition and more a sense of commonality. She wasn't so interested in this one so we switched to Proust, which she only tolerated for about a page before we switched to a soft book from IKEA involving a lamb, a duck, and other animals made of felt, ending in a little mirror, which all books should end in, since all books reflect their readers, no?
Profile Image for Sharon Nicholls.
36 reviews
February 25, 2017
This wonderful concept book is about a pink baby elephant named Pomelo discovering the opposites around him. The drawings depict a sweet wide-eyed Polemo taking in his surroundings. Young readers will find a hilarious potty humor scene that is perfectly suited for this audience. However, what begins with basic opposite concepts develops into a more complex text of contradictions. Opposites such as “see” and “look at” challenge the reader to make distinctions that young children might find complex yet make space for new and interesting conversations. Towards the end of the book, the vocabulary becomes rich and the opposites become fuzzy, but both elements fit beautifully in this creative and fun read. Target audience: ages 3-8.
Profile Image for Ashtin Flener.
31 reviews
September 23, 2017
Pomelo's Opposites is a phenomenal concept book about an elephant names Pomelo who has grown up, but remembers the days when he was unable to see the differences between opposites. The story goes on to simply list, with descriptive illustrations, different opposites. For example, closed and open, black and white, striped and polka dotted, dream and reality. This book gives some obvious opposites, but also adds in more fun and playful opposites which makes for a fun twist. At the end of the book, Pomelo explains that he is now more easily able to see the differences now that he is older.
I think that this book is really awesome. The text is simple and often even single worded. The illustration is clean, neat, and descriptive. If the reader is unsure of the difference in up and down, the illustration very clearly gives that explanation.
This book could very easily be used in the classroom. When talking about opposites and what that means, this book could be read as an introduction to the lesson. Students could also then make lists of the fun and quirky opposites that they see in their lives.
Profile Image for Noelle Boc.
63 reviews1 follower
January 4, 2014
This is one of those books that is in turns hilarious, philosophical, literal and inventive. Some parents may be less than comfortable at some of the imagery or choices of opposites. It is certainly not a book for beginners to learn opposites on! But older kids and grown ups will talk about it and giggle, too.
Profile Image for Samantha.
4,985 reviews60 followers
August 3, 2013
Pomelo's books are just plain great! In this book, Pomelo explores opposites. Many familiar pairs of opposites are presented alongside some more thoughtful-bordering-on-philosophical pairs. My favorite is stalactite vs. stalagmite. PreK-2.
Profile Image for Haylee.
370 reviews
January 26, 2014
Pomelo is a cute little elephant. This is a simple opposite book that has traditional as well as a few not-so-regular opposites. Love the small width and height of the book for little hands.
53 reviews1 follower
May 11, 2018
Illustrator: Benjamin Chaud

Copyright Date: 2013

Number of Pages: 120

Book Format: Hardcover

Grade or Reading Level: Preschool - 2nd grade

Genre: Picture book

Lit Requirement: concept books

Topic Tags: opposites

Summary & Review/Response:
When Pomelo was very young, he could not identify what opposites were. He couldn't tell the difference between big and small or left and right. However, as he's gotten older he is able to identify all kinds of objects that are opposites. Follow along the book to learn so many different objects that are opposites.
I really liked this book. I thought it was simple and to the point, but it was still engaging to the reader. I loved reading all of the different opposites; there were some I would've never thought of! There were also a lot of silly examples which I enjoyed as well. This book is perfect for teaching about opposites or even for beginning readers to read. There is a lot of pictures and very few words in the book, which usually captures children's' attention.
Profile Image for Jim Erekson.
603 reviews35 followers
December 19, 2013
This was much better than the last concept book I read. The images and text are loaded with unanswered questions and inferences to make. I felt like I had to stop along the way to 'notice and fondle the details' as Eliot Singer used to day, and then decide how these details made a difference to me. Some of the juxtapositions were laugh-out-loud funny, and were in the same post-modern spirit as People. A favorite is the page where the cartoon elephant is faced by a page with a painting of an African elephant--it's still a painting (not a photo), just in a different style and still slightly cartoony! Very interesting talk to be had around these pictures.

I didn't feel like the text answered all the questions about 'why' these things were opposites (at least not on every page). The book supported my open-ended questions.
Profile Image for Kristin Lambert.
Author 1 book101 followers
August 26, 2016
One of the more absurd and unexpected books I've read to my kids, with "opposites" that go beyond the usual "big/little" to things like "comfortable/uncomfortable," "real/pretend," "stranger/friend" and lots more. It's a long book for this genre, and when we first read it, I expected my kids (6 and 3.5) to grow bored before the end. I definitely expected to get bored with it myself, as I kind of loathe most one-word-per-page type books.

But this one grew on me ... and apparently on them. My 3.5-year-old, in particular, has requested to read this book several times in the last few days and also carries it around by herself to "read." While some of the concepts require explanation on my part ("dream/reality," for example), those pages have turned into some of my kids' favorite ones. They also like the illustrations of cute, weird little Pomelo and his other garden friends, like a snail, turtle and frog.

I'll definitely be looking for the other Pomelo books to read with them.
Profile Image for Tracie.
1,781 reviews43 followers
November 14, 2013
Ele-fantastic Pomelo explores the concept of opposites in this whimsical book. Friendly illustrations and a playful approach to opposites make for a fun book--but to me, some of the pairings didn't seem to truly be opposites ("something" versus "whatever," for example) and others were a tad confusing (while a snail is definitely "little" and an elephant is definitely "big," it's difficult to get a sense of this size difference when both the snail and the elephant fill their respective pages and appear to be the same size). Young readers may also need adult assistance to understand/pronounce the rich vocabulary presented here; so while this isn't really a basic introduction to opposites, curious kids will nevertheless enjoy this book as an invitation to imagine, ponder, and explore.
Profile Image for Lindsey.
959 reviews22 followers
January 23, 2014
A cute book of opposites that even older students would enjoy. There might even be some opposites that are new to them like :

gastropod and curcurbit

convex and concave

evident and unimaginable

The illustrations are funny and definitely appeal to our inner immature self like how food goes in and then comes out. Yes, an opposite found in this book :).
Profile Image for Angie.
3,696 reviews52 followers
September 24, 2013
I think Pomelo is really cute and this book didn't disappoint. while I am not sure everything in here is exactly opposite, most are and it is a good teaching tool for kids. Plus Pomelo is so darn cute!
Profile Image for Marissa Elera.
1,369 reviews38 followers
November 12, 2013
This little book is utterly charming. I am a fan of any children's book that challenges perspective, and this book certainly does so with it array of humorous, unusual opposites. I am particularly fond of the in and out page. ;p
Profile Image for Jenny.
338 reviews
January 17, 2014
You think you've read every book about opposites but you're wrong! This is a very funny addition to the genre. It is perhaps the first I've read (and only one I'll ever read) to include gastropod and cucurbit as opposites!
Profile Image for Amy.
971 reviews
August 3, 2016
There are some interesting observations here on opposites! Some are easier to understand (even for a grown-up like me) but others are a bit philosophical. Opposites like left/right, having/being and stalactite/ stalagmite are illustrated in this funky little red book. It's definitely not your typical book on opposites!
Profile Image for Kira Dickson.
66 reviews
February 22, 2018
Copyright: 2013
Number of Pages: UNKNOWN
Book Format: Hardcover
Reading Level: Grades K-3
Genre: Concept Book
Lit Requirement: Concept #3

Summary:
This deals with an elephant named Pomelo who when he was growing up found opposites confusing. He tells us with pictures what he found confusing. The pictures are drawn and simple.

Response:
I did not like this story that much. Even though it does give good examples of how things are opposite from each other, some of the pictures, to me, does not look like the opposite for example with gastropod and cucurbit. The picture for gastropod is a snail and a cucurbit was a cucumber. Another is question and answer. The question picture is Pomelo giving a frog a flower, and answer is Pomelo holding the flower while the frog hopped away. I would not recommend this book.
33 reviews1 follower
February 1, 2022
This book uses a contrast between dark and light colors to show kids the opposite. For example they use black and white and show a white elephant with a black background, and Pomelo as a black elephant with a white background. Or the comparison of the pickle looking insects from on to off. The on color is vibrant, light, and their dancing, while the off insects are sleep, dark green and their eyes are closed. Not every opposite in this book matches the picture, like thin and fat, it shows Pomelo’s trunk ad thin, and his entire body as fat. Younger children would enjoy this book. The illustrations are almost perfect, I love how they use a repetition of characters on different pages even though the book is about Pomelo. Lastly, this book added in some complex words they smaller children won’t learn until later in life like convex and concave but it’s still educational!
Profile Image for Rose Rosetree.
Author 15 books469 followers
July 20, 2023
Learning -- that can be some of the sweetest fun for a human being. And learning begins on Day 1 of a human lifetime.

I love-love-love how this picture book invites the very youngest readers to learn something essential about life on Earth.

* Opposites matter for moving around your crib, or your home, or your neighborhood.
* Or your relationships. * Or your choices.
* Or ethics. * AND using free will to honor your integrity.

In this world of polarities, opposites matter so much. Those who glibly say, "Opposites attract" and leave it there... may be missing 95% of their possible learning.

Seems to me, that great final page summarizes this perfectly. Not that I'm going to do a spoiler, no no.

Thank you, Ramona Badescu for this highly accessible book that is also so profound. FIVE STARS to you as the author and also to Benjamin Chaud as the artist.
65 reviews1 follower
March 27, 2018
Copyright: 2013
Number of pages: 120
Book format: print
Reading level: K-3; GR level N/A
Genre: fiction
Lit requirement: concept book

Pomelo's Opposites is the story of Pomelo the pink elephant who used to not understand opposites very well when he was younger. The story then went into many pairs of opposites along with illustrations that described the opposites.

I rated this book three stars because there are some funny pictures, and how Benjamin Chaud draws characters, you can easily see emotion expressed on their faces. However, some of the opposites and illustrations seemed a little inappropriate. Also, some of the opposites were tougher words that might be a little difficult for young readers to understand on their own even with the illustrations.
Profile Image for Bethel Swift.
Author 2 books15 followers
June 28, 2018
Fun and whimsical illustrations but some of the word pairs are not actually opposites (beautiful/weird, polka-dotted/striped, see/look at, etc) and some of the illustrations do not match the concepts being taught. This may just be a translation issue that could be fixed in a newer edition.
Profile Image for madziar.
1,544 reviews
November 15, 2017
Kwadratowa książeczka, trzecia z serii, z krótkimi równoważnikami zdań, zaczynająca się od typowych przeciwieństw a potem swobodnie odpływająca w galaktykę humoru twórców Pomela.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews

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