From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3–Filled with whimsy, surprise, and pure fun, this French import extends the idea of opposites far beyond the basics. More than 100 pages are packed neatly into the small, square-shaped frame, with contrasting words and images facing on each spread. Many, but not all, feature Pomelo, a big-eyed, long-trunked pink elephant demonstrating each example. The book begins with fairly standard word pairs, but the art is anything but predictable. For example, “morning/evening” features identical scenes with the skies reversed. Further page turns lead to even more imaginative interpretations. The words stray from direct opposites in playful ways, such as “something”/“whatever” and “handsome”/“weird.” The cartoon drawings are often funny: one shows a red piece of food going “in” the elephant's mouth, then coming out his opposite end, having turned brown after digestion. Some are thought-provoking: a flower losing its petals represents “fleeting,” then the same flower is captured in a painting for “permanent.” When the word pairs require an extra bit of stretching to fit as opposites, such as “on snailback”/“by turtle,” it's in keeping with the creative, carefree tone that permeates the book. Rich vocabulary (“stalagmite,” “concave,” and “gastropod,” for example) and deceptively subtle visual interpretations make this a great choice for parent-child sharing and discussion, but solo children will have no problem immersing themselves in the clever, playful, and deftly imagined illustrations.–Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville Public Library, ORα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“Pomelo’s Opposites is the kind of book that can be enjoyed, at its simplest level, for its charming drawings and warm colors, but there’s more to be found on repeated readings." -- The New York Times

"Filled with whimsy, surprise, and pure fun. . . . Rich vocabulary ('stalagmite,' 'concave,' and 'gastropod,' for example) and deceptively subtle visual interpretations make this a great choice for parent-child sharing and discussion, but solo children will have no problem immersing themselves in the clever, playful, and deftly imagined illustrations." -- School Library Journal

“the kind of book that can be enjoyed, at its simplest level, for its charming drawings and warm colors, but there’s more to be found on repeated readings.” – The New York Times

“The speedy delivery of associations starts to feel like an exciting, wild ride. Images, words and meanings volley back and forth, bouncing from page to page and between this clever book and readers’ imaginations . . . Simple, sunny, silly illustrations brilliantly convey the complexities and joys one can unearth when tilling a garden of language.” – STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

“This is a book that gets you thinking about the nature of opposites. Children can use it as a jumping off point for creating their own unusual opposites and illustrating them. Or just read it and laugh out loud at the great surprises waiting for you.” – Waking Brain Cells

“Less a study of true opposites than an invitation to open minds and imaginations.” – Publishers Weekly

“honest, it is actually just a great book. You simply cannot read it without smiling which is the sort of book we all need a little of. I am once again thinking of several adults who would love it’s entertaining and rather lovely take on life’s big and small opposites.” -- The UBS Otago Review of Books

“Pomelo, our elefantastic hero, is here he again in a surprisingly comic and playful book of opposites. True to the concept, there are classic oppositions such as left/right, thin/fat, up/down. There are also philosophical opposites, such as with/without, dream/reality, and possibly/impossible. And then there are silly, surreal and laughoutloud opposites, for the reader to discover on her own!” – French Embassy in the United States

“Pomelo's Opposites really soars when Badescu and Chaud start thinking outside of the box. Ordinary and extraordinary, possible and impossible, pretend and real, gastropod and cucurbit, convex and concave and my favorite, having and being. This is that extra something that makes these books truly memorable and definitely worth giving.” – Books 4 Your Kids

“Pomelo’s Opposites is the kind of book that can be enjoyed, at its simplest level, for its charming drawings and warm colors, but there’s more to be found on repeated readings." -- The New York Times

"Filled with whimsy, surprise, and pure fun. . . . Rich vocabulary ('stalagmite,' 'concave,' and 'gastropod,' for example) and deceptively subtle visual interpretations make this a great choice for parent-child sharing and discussion, but solo children will have no problem immersing themselves in the clever, playful, and deftly imagined illustrations." -- School Library Journal

“the kind of book that can be enjoyed, at its simplest level, for its charming drawings and warm colors, but there’s more to be found on repeated readings.” – The New York Times

“The speedy delivery of associations starts to feel like an exciting, wild ride. Images, words and meanings volley back and forth, bouncing from page to page and between this clever book and readers’ imaginations . . . Simple, sunny, silly illustrations brilliantly convey the complexities and joys one can unearth when tilling a garden of language.” – STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

“This is a book that gets you thinking about the nature of opposites. Children can use it as a jumping off point for creating their own unusual opposites and illustrating them. Or just read it and laugh out loud at the great surprises waiting for you.” – Waking Brain Cells

“Less a study of true opposites than an invitation to open minds and imaginations.” – Publishers Weekly

“honest, it is actually just a great book. You simply cannot read it without smiling which is the sort of book we all need a little of. I am once again thinking of several adults who would love it’s entertaining and rather lovely take on life’s big and small opposites.” -- The UBS Otago Review of Books

“Pomelo, our elefantastic hero, is here he again in a surprisingly comic and playful book of opposites. True to the concept, there are classic oppositions such as left/right, thin/fat, up/down. There are also philosophical opposites, such as with/without, dream/reality, and possibly/impossible. And then there are silly, surreal and laughoutloud opposites, for the reader to discover on her own!” – French Embassy in the United States

“Pomelo's Opposites really soars when Badescu and Chaud start thinking outside of the box. Ordinary and extraordinary, possible and impossible, pretend and real, gastropod and cucurbit, convex and concave and my favorite, having and being. This is that extra something that makes these books truly memorable and definitely worth giving.” – Books 4 Your Kids

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