Pomelo grandit

Pomelo

by Ramona Badescu

Sur son chemin du matin, Pomelo croise un pissenlit étonnamment petit...Ça alors ! Pomelo a grandi !Du coup, il voudrait bien faire quelque chose de grand, plus grand que tout ce qu'il a fait jusqu'ici.Mais... Ne faut-il pas être moyen avant d'être grand ? Et puis d'abord, grandira-t-il uniformément ? Deviendra-t-il tout gris ? Aimera-t-il des choses qu'il n'aimait pas avant ? Devra-t-il faire des choix et de nouvelles expériences ?Grandir c'est voir revenir ses vieilles peurs... mais c'est aussi en rigoler. Et maintenant, Pomelo se sent assez grand pour la grande aventure.Ramona Badescu réussit ici à capter les étonnements, les questions, les hésitations ou les doutes des enfants qui grandissent. Tout y est juste, tendrement observé, étonnamment évocateur.Benjamin Chaud a exploité ce nouveau format avec jubilation et a su faire de superbes trouvailles, donnant à voir les sentiments à la fois fiers et bouillonnants de l'enfance.A partir de 4 ans

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Storytime, Fiction

49 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Pomelo the garden elephant passes his favorite dandelion and discovers that it looks rather small, he realizes that he himself has grown. This change precipitates a period of intense questioning, as he begins to wonder just what growing up entails, and what it will mean. He wonders what happens on the inside, to cause growth on the outside, and wonders if everyone grows at the same rate. Does growing up entail growing old? Will he turn gray when he's grown? In the end, Pomelo discovers that he is no longer as afraid as he once was, setting out from his garden on a voyage of exploration...

Originally published in France as Pomelo grandit, and translated into English by the wonderful Brooklyn-based Enchanted Lion Books, Pomelo Begins to Grow presents a gently contemplative, and ultimately thought-provoking look at an issue of interest to all children: growing up. Some of the issues that Pomelo considers may have also occurred to the young reader/listener, while others might be new to him, but by presenting her elephantine hero as a young person with lots of questions, Ramona Badescu highlights the importance and validity of questioning itself, as an essential component of the maturation process. The artwork by Benjamin Chaud is colorful, quirky and appealing, depicting Pomelo and his friends in any number of whimsically amusing ways, depending upon the question and/or imagining being discussed in the text. I particularly liked Pomelo's winding trunk! Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books with a more philosophical bent, or who enjoys Benjamin Chaud's artwork.

[Kinga (oazaksiazek) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pomelo rośnie to wartościowa pozycja nie tylko dla dzieci. Wcale mnie nie zdziwi, jeśli to dorośli w trakcie jej czytania będą ze zrozumieniem kiwać głowami.

Ta książka uczy najmłodszych, że będąc starszym wcale nie trzeba być zgryźliwym i poważnym. Nawet w dorosłym życiu można być bowiem pełnym energii, poczucia humoru i chęci do psot.

Ilustracje Benjamina Chauda są genialne i zdecydowanie dodają tej historii uroku!

[CHLOE PARK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the part when pomelo learned to say goodbye to things he loved.

[Agathe 🧚🏻‍♀️🍧 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un petit album tout mignon sur la grande question « qu’est-ce que grandit ? »

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can we be frank? Pomelo looks like a slab of something vaguely phallic. It distracted me, even though he was a very charming character.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK -- I got this from the RHYMES AND SONGS shelf of the Renton Highlands Library, but it's labeled as SCIENCE AND NATURE.

The story itself is less science and more philosophy though. Pomelo is an elephant-ish creature who explores what it means to grow -- both physically and emotionally. It's not about the science of growing, but what happens to our expectations and desires as they mature. Interesting if not completely coherent.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve put off reading this book because the little elephant’s trunk reminds me of a tapeworm which causes flashbacks to freshman year zoology and that was wretched.

And yet, tapeworm and all, this book is anything but wretched. It has some very sweet messages in its pages which ultimately make up for the main character’s unfortunate resemblance to a helminth.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did it take me so long to discover Pomelo?! I will never understand the less than charming reviews this book has received. It is one of the best picture books I have read this year, with a sweet and humorous look at growing up. I want to run out and buy it for my nieces and nephew and parents and everyone in between.

[Jerod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book because I feel like it can show the differences between people growing up throughout the years of their lives. In this story, the book reflects heavily on what it means to grow up and how you can experience new feelings along the way. I think this would be great for the classroom because it shows self-discovery, but in a simple way that many students could understand.

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the rare children's book which when we read together I felt like I was the intended audience, especially when we came to this part:

小柚子不再害怕離開他的花園
他發現長大就要學習說再見
也要能接受别人對他這樣說

Perhaps I have more growing up to do.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is currently my four year old's favorite book. She asks for it every night. It's charming. Presents a lot of the excitement, concerns, and questions we tend to have about growing up (and sometimes even when we are already grown up).

[Kiki Renner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so cute. The illustrations were incredible and the lesson behind it was so good. It was highlighting the fact that everyone is different in their own way, and that is okay! I would definitely have this in my classroom.

[Jennifer B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pomelo is very cute. The art is charming, and it's a nice story about growing up, but not too fast.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really get it as a child's book.

I think some stuff in the beginning could be used to motivate a class session on measurement (especially one using non-traditional measures).

[Michelle Farella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a translation

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un cuento sencillo, enternecedor e ideal para los niños. Es precioso.

[Nel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+

[Margarita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bueeeeno, no me ha terminado de convencer.
Es un buen cuento para promover que los niños se pregunten cosas y que no tengan miedo a crecer. Pero me hafaltado algo.

[Camden Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little book. It is about an elephant that is growing up. A good book to address children's anxieties around growing up and changing. Shows that everyone is different and special.

[Maddie Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so cute! It is about an elephant that grows up, I think this would be a cute book to read during career day!

[Casandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful book about the thoughts kids have on growing up. Not great for story time though--illustrations are too hard to see.
elephants
growing up

[Wyimaginowanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jedna z lepszych książek dla dzieci. Polecam.

[JUNE BENGOETXEA · Rating 4 out of 5]

POMELO Begins to Grow is a picture story book written by Ramona Badescu and illustrated by Benjamin Chaud. As the title says, this story is based on the concerns of a small elephant named Pomelo on will happen when he grows up. Page by page, ask him different questions, about how will be his image, or what he could do etc.

I chose this book to read it aloud because I think that children will understand most of the questions that Pomelo does to her mind. Because students must do this questions too. And all the questions are accompanied by nice illustrations that became the story so funny and easy to read.

The illustration are big so all the students will see the images clearly. And of course I loved them. The colors are very brighten and strong, and this pictures in the white page are fantastic. The covers are nice too, Pomelos huge eye is wonderful. The material that is made the book is perfect for reading aloud. The teacher can easily hold the book for their students to appreciate the illustrations.

I would recommend this book to every teacher of kids of 5-8 years. I think that they would love it and that they would like read it many times.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although some of the questions Pomelo considers, such as what happens when we grow and does growing on the outside mean that we are also growing on the inside, are those commonly asked by children, others seem more suited to older readers or even adults. There was little surprise for me in reading that Pomelo came to realize that growth involves change, and that change sometimes means having to leave what's familiar. While some of the illustrations with the different perspectives and sizes they offer to the reader were appealing to me, others seemed, by turns, flat or too cluttered. While I see depth and universality in Pomelo's experiences, I also identified more than a tad of the didactic, which was off-putting to me.

[Dona Gay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a "bluebird" (girl scout or campfire girl) for a very brief period of time when I was 7-yrs-old. One day we all went to 31 flavors to get ice cream. 12 of the 13 girls got chocolate ice cream. I got strawberry. I loved strawberry and did not care for chocolate. After reading the other ratings and reviews of "Pomelo Begins to Grow", I am feeling much the way I did that day, like everyone else likes chocolate ice cream and I alone like strawberry which is all the more interesting because Pomelo is a cute little pink elephant. Yes, the very same shade of pink as strawberry ice cream. I liked Pomelo and his quirky illustrations and deep thoughts. Go Pomelo!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried to read this to my son, but he got bored after awhile. I thought it was a rather clever way of looking at growing up and how it changes a person (animal in this case). Pomelo is a tiny garden elephant who learns that growing up isn't as scary as he thought. It is about making choices, making discoveries and having new experiences. However it is also about being able to laugh at old fears. Pomelo is ready for big adventures. I loved the whimsical illustrations, especially the ones about him trying new things (sushi and hot peppers), but I'm not sure most kids, especially younger ones, would get this book. Recommended for ages 5-9, 3 stars.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up is a mysterious and strange event. Bodies grow, our point of view changes, our interests and likes change, our responsibilities change and so does our knowledge of how the world works. Do you have to grow old if you grow up? And if you grow old, do you automatically grow wise? Could it be that one day you will do something you haven`t even thought of yet? Lots of questions and thoughtful statements fill this delightful book translated from the original French about growing up.

[Jay Bushara · Rating 5 out of 5]

On growing up and moving on: this is another of those rare tall books that doesn’t seem to fit anymore on American shelves, and yet all of the extra acreage here feels indispensable for containing such phantasmagoria as a chorus of giddy potatoes who like to throw mud cakes at one another and lounge in the branches, a hovering, menacing teapot, forests of mushrooms, and Pomelo himself, who is mysteriously identified as a garden elephant. From France.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very odd book, and my 4-yr-old loves it; we have read it 3 times a day since it came home from the library. She finds some of the pages (such as the unequal growth and the 'clowning around') very funny, and had some good questions about whether or not adults can really do anything that they want or if they also have to follow rules. And at the end we discussed how going to a larger garden was something like her transition to kindergarten next year.