This book would do a sufficient job introducing two characters within a story. The simple, predictable text makes the story easy to read for emerging readers. The hand drawn illustrations seemingly appear as crayons strokes and child like drawings. My issues reside in the uneventful plot line and the bare minimum comparison/contrasting between the two characters, Ping and Pong. I would have liked to have seen the author develop more differences between the two dogs, and create a more sensible way for the characters to come together at the end. I do not see this book enticing young readers.
Title-Ping Wants to Play Author-Adam Gudeon Series-I Like to Read Publisher-Holiday House ISBN-9780823428540 Copyright date-2014 Hardback Pages-24 Type of Book – Fiction Grade Range –Ages 3-5, Grades K, 1 Use- Recreation, Read aloud Type Size- Large Format –Picture Book Illustration Type-Black & White, Color Illustration Rating- Good Genres- Adventure, Animal Literary Merit- Good Characterization-Good Recommended Summary-Ping and Pong are friends. They like to do different things but are still friends. This book shows kids how friends can be different and still like each other. They have fun doing varied activities. But they are always there for each other if things should go awry. Pong helps Ping down from the doghouse he was stuck on. Evaluation- Kids learn that having a friend is special. A friend who is different from you can be a lot of fun. The simple color pictures show a lot of emotion from both dogs. It’s a simple tale with a big message about friendship and just being kind to others. This book would be great for a read aloud or alone.
Lively little Ping is a puppy with a cape--which means she must fly, right? Pong is more laid back, but he manages to rescue Ping when her superhero antics might result in injury. This is a very simple book, designed for beginning readers. The illustrations are static, with a childlike charm. While not extraordinary literature, this still meets a vital need for tons of tons of easy readers to meet the needs of the newest book lovers.
New readers will enjoy the lively antics of Ping, a would-be doggy superhero, and Pong, his laid-back best friend. When Ping decides he can fly, Pong calmly rescues him from the resulting predicament. The message that friends can have different interests and seem very different is a good one. It is also clear from the energetic, and humorous illustrations, that friends help each other out in a crisis. An enjoyable story that is not an obvious primer.
This is a really cute and short book about two friends who are fundamentally different. This would be great in storytime for toddlers, although I think that preschoolers would still appreciate it--especially when Ping tries to fly. Great addition to a superhero storytime!
Clear, concise text for very early readers. A sweet story about friends and some gentle foolishness. The illustrations seem a little too busy for the book to really stand out. Lots of extraneous toys and neighborhood animals fill the pages.