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Books and Kids

 Ezra Jack Keats tells memorable stories without preaching, and he invents characters who seem to be people you actually know.


"Pet Show" concerns Archie, who would like a ribbon in a local contest. His cat has a mind of its own; the cat has (temporarily) disappeared. This is a moderately high-stakes issue; it's painful to consider life without a ribbon. But the clock is ticking.

Necessity is the mother of invention: When it's clear the cat won't turn up on time, Archie thrusts an empty jar at the judges and says, "This is my invisible germ, Al." 

I just like the chaos of the setting (which seems to be Brooklyn?) -- and I like Archie's scrappiness. In a final twist, Archie has an opportunity to be greedy, but he instead chooses to be kind. Nothing earth-moving, and Ezra Jack Keats isn't shaking his fists from a pulpit -- but you do remember the final act of kindness.

This is a quiet but brilliant book.

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