Penpals Forever

by C.K. Smouha, Jürg Lindenberger (Illustrator)

Freddy the mouse is practising his skateboarding when a vast, white shape descends from the sky. It’s a letter from a science-loving elephant called Annabel! The two become penpals. When Freddy’s letters stop coming, Annabel must go to the city to rescue him from the notorious Cheddar Dave and his gang. Freddy and his roomate, Pizza Pete, then go to the Savannah, where they save Annabel’s laboratory from some hungry termites. Just as they leave to go their separate ways, Pete finds a letter from a termite called Daisy, and a new penpal relationship is formed. This is a madcap romp about two friends who could not be more different. Hilarious illustrations play with scale discrepancies and are complemented by luxury production effects, bringing a message of tolerance and acceptance to life.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals

44 pages, Hardcover

Published October 13, 2020

Reviews

[Kristin Guay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story about some very unlikely penpals-two small grey mice and one large grey elephant. Freddy and Pete are two city mice that are enjoying a day of skateboarding when all of the sudden, a huge white envelope falls onto their heads. They open it up and find a letter from someone named Annabel. She says she is grey with big ears and a big nose, is eight years old, and is looking for a penpal. Freddy is very excited about this letter because he is also grey, with big ears and a big nose, and he is eight years old. He sits down to write a note and the letters start going back and forth. Freddy tells Annabel about his adventures, but he also tells her about the Chaddar Gang that has been bothering him and Pete. Annabel tells Freddy about her science lab, but also about the interesting termite mound she found behind her lab. After some time, Annabel notices that she has not received any letters from Freddy. She is worried about the Cheddar Gang and sets off to help him. She is upset when she arrives at Freddy’s home to find the Cheddar Gang has completely taken over his house. It is at this time in the story when Freddy realizes that his pen pal is actually a huge elephant. Annabel’s long trunk comes in handy to suck up and remove all of the Cheddar Gang from Freddy’s house. He is very grateful for her help and he and Pete decide to go back with Annabel to see her home and lab. After they arrive, Annabel is horrified to see that the termites have made a meal of her lab. Freddy and Pete wastes no time in returning the favor and set to work on rebuilding Annabel’s lab. All is well in the end and three unlikely creatures have now become wonderful friends.

The artwork in this story will be very entertaining for children. The graphics are colorful and there are comments and thought bubbles happening throughout the pages-almost like a comic. There is a lot to take in on each page and children will have fun looking at all the small details. This book is perfect for children over the age of five years old. I would especially recommend it to children that enjoy a “busy” book with text, dialogue, interesting pictures, letters, and all kinds of fun things happening on each page. It is not really a story to rush through, but instead to take some time looking at all the little details on each page. This story might be a good way to encourage a child to become a pen pal with a family member or friend--who doesn't like getting some fun mail in the mailbox every once in a while!

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freddy and Pete are the best of friends (they're mice, btw). Pete enjoys skateboarding whilst Freddy makes a mean pizza but their space is always under threat from Cheddar Dave and his gang. When an enormous letter falls on Pete's head, the pair of mice might have inadvertently found a solution to their problem.

Penpals sees an unlikely but sweet friendship between Pete and Annabel, a research scientist/Elephant who spends her time studying termites. Go with it, it works! As they write letters to one another (Annabel needs a microscope to read Freddy's) the bond grows. Yet when Freddy stops writing, Annabel grows concerned that Cheddar Dave is done something horrible and decides to pay a visit to the city.

Lindenberger's style is bright, bold and unusual and each page has plenty to find and explore (speech bubbles throughout add little moments of humour throughout). There's a lovely fold-out letter from Annabel at the start to show its comparative size to the recipients and the illustrative style is unusual but in an engaging and exciting way.

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 2 out of 5]

With the advent of the Internet, aren's penpals are generally passé?

Freddy and his friend Pete are at the skating park when a giant letter from Annabel in South Africa is literally dropped in on them. Freddy responds to it and a friendship grows from the letters they exchange. When Freddy asks for advice on dealing with bullies, Annabel hops on an airplane to come to his rescue in the U.K. When she is homesick, she invites Freddy and Pete to visit her. When the group arrives in S.A., they discover Annabel's wooden house has been eaten by termites, so they build her another one of bricks. Just before they leave, Pete finds a microscopic letter from one of the termites. And so, another penpal relationship grows...

Smouha has created a sweet little animal fantasy of friendship, showing that size and interest are not impediments to forming this type of long distance relationship. There are numerous problems with this story. First, it might have been more relevant for today's readers if the penpals had met on the Internet. Second, there are no adults in this tale and characters feel young, immature, and very impulsive. Freddy and Pete are booted out of their home by the bullies - how easy is that to do? All three hop on/off airplanes between countries as if on a whim. Regardless, many children will suspend reality and accept this story for what it is.

Digital illustrations by Jürg Lindenberger are lively and colorful. Packed with detail, they are almost too busy and take away from the story at times. There are several places where it is difficult to follow the text as it is spread out on the page in a random patter. I like the inclusion of the tipped in giant letter, although it opens opposite the way readers will expect - through the bottom of the envelope rather than the top of it; I was hoping other letters would be delivered in a similar manner (i.e. tipped in). Conversation is told in word bubbles, with narration separated on the pate.

A near-miss from a duo that I had higher expectations. This will be appreciated by PreSchool-grade 2.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freddy the mouse and Annabel the elephant become penpals and write letters back and forth. Freddy tells Annabel about the bullies in his neighborhood who stole his skateboard, and when Freddy stops writing altogether Annabel is worried that something must have happened to him.

I love that Annabel's letters are humongous and taller than Freddy. And Freddy's letters are tiny, and Annabel has to read them with a microscope. That made me laugh! Nothing can stop those two from being friends!

I really hated the illustrations. The art style is weirdly bulbous. The character's faces are distorted, and their arms are too long. Nothing is in correct proportion to anything else, and it's confusing.

However, I loved the clever story so much! The writing is excellent, and the characters are fun. It's a delight from start to finish!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmmm – this one didn't appeal to me. In trying to be a story of different scales – where an elephant becomes a penpal to a bullied mouse – it shows differences can easily be overcome when it comes to friendship. There is a wit about the jumbo (pun intended) letter arriving in the mouse territory, and the microscopic missive that the elephant finds in return (and there's a neat twist on all that to close), but it still didn't work in my mind. The visuals are a most ungainly mess, with odd-shaped panels given a lack of necessary definition, speech bubbles coming from peculiar angles, and just an all-round unpleasantness about it I found most off-putting. And the narrator's style, even in such a short piece for such a short audience, didn't feel welcoming. A charming premise, but charmless execution. One and a half stars.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.