Leave It to Plum! by Matt Phelan
Genre
Bluebonnet Nominated
Bluebonnet Nominated
Target Age Group
8-12 years, grades 3-7
Summary
The book follows Plum, an outgoing peacock who is the face of the Athensville Zoo, on his adventures around the zoo as he encounters other animals and zookeepers. After a mysterious animal tries to frame the peacocks for theft, Plum takes it upon himself to save the peacocks and figure out who is trying to get them into trouble.
The book follows Plum, an outgoing peacock who is the face of the Athensville Zoo, on his adventures around the zoo as he encounters other animals and zookeepers. After a mysterious animal tries to frame the peacocks for theft, Plum takes it upon himself to save the peacocks and figure out who is trying to get them into trouble.
Justification for Choosing
I selected this book after it was recommended to me by an elementary school reading teacher for being a popular book among students. Additionally, the book fits the Bluebonnet book criteria as it made the 2023-2024 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List. The inclusion of illustrations in the book also caught my attention as they seemed to elevate the story. The popularity and accolades the book has received justified my decision to choose this book for my blog.
I selected this book after it was recommended to me by an elementary school reading teacher for being a popular book among students. Additionally, the book fits the Bluebonnet book criteria as it made the 2023-2024 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List. The inclusion of illustrations in the book also caught my attention as they seemed to elevate the story. The popularity and accolades the book has received justified my decision to choose this book for my blog.
Evaluation
For this review, I will be evaluating the book's characters, setting, and illustrations.
Characters:
Leave It to Plum! contains multi-dimensional characters that are relatable and entertaining for young audiences. The protagonist, Plum, is developed through his actions as readers follow him on his adventures over multiple days. Plum is child-like and often amazed by his surroundings which allows those in the targeted age group to easily relate to the protagonist's feelings. Though the majority of characters are animals, they are given human-like personalities that allow readers to easily identify and empathize with the characters.
Setting:
The setting of the Athensville Zoo is detailed through the use of the book's illustrations and descriptions. The language used when describing the setting is very descriptive as readers can imagine the layout of the zoo, the zoo's enclosures, and the weather. Additionally, the author includes an illustration of a zoo map and various enclosures to assist young readers with visualizing the setting. The author's use of illustrations and imagery to describe trail paths and locations of enclosures by relating them to ones previously mentioned creates a clear picture of the zoo's landscape for readers.
Illustrations:
The illustrations strengthen the overall story as they aid readers in imagining what the characters and setting look like. The illustration style is simplistic, and no color is used, but the inclusion of these illustrations is integral to conveying a humorous tone and maintaining the attention of young readers. The illustrations randomly appearing between paragraphs is an exciting inclusion for readers as they will be unsure when the next illustration will appear. The randomness of the illustrations has a positive effect on the story's pacing as readers will want to continue reading to see what the next illustration entails.Overall Rating: 4/5
For this review, I will be evaluating the book's characters, setting, and illustrations.
Characters:
Leave It to Plum! contains multi-dimensional characters that are relatable and entertaining for young audiences. The protagonist, Plum, is developed through his actions as readers follow him on his adventures over multiple days. Plum is child-like and often amazed by his surroundings which allows those in the targeted age group to easily relate to the protagonist's feelings. Though the majority of characters are animals, they are given human-like personalities that allow readers to easily identify and empathize with the characters.
Leave It to Plum! contains multi-dimensional characters that are relatable and entertaining for young audiences. The protagonist, Plum, is developed through his actions as readers follow him on his adventures over multiple days. Plum is child-like and often amazed by his surroundings which allows those in the targeted age group to easily relate to the protagonist's feelings. Though the majority of characters are animals, they are given human-like personalities that allow readers to easily identify and empathize with the characters.
Setting:
The setting of the Athensville Zoo is detailed through the use of the book's illustrations and descriptions. The language used when describing the setting is very descriptive as readers can imagine the layout of the zoo, the zoo's enclosures, and the weather. Additionally, the author includes an illustration of a zoo map and various enclosures to assist young readers with visualizing the setting. The author's use of illustrations and imagery to describe trail paths and locations of enclosures by relating them to ones previously mentioned creates a clear picture of the zoo's landscape for readers.
The setting of the Athensville Zoo is detailed through the use of the book's illustrations and descriptions. The language used when describing the setting is very descriptive as readers can imagine the layout of the zoo, the zoo's enclosures, and the weather. Additionally, the author includes an illustration of a zoo map and various enclosures to assist young readers with visualizing the setting. The author's use of illustrations and imagery to describe trail paths and locations of enclosures by relating them to ones previously mentioned creates a clear picture of the zoo's landscape for readers.
Illustrations:
The illustrations strengthen the overall story as they aid readers in imagining what the characters and setting look like. The illustration style is simplistic, and no color is used, but the inclusion of these illustrations is integral to conveying a humorous tone and maintaining the attention of young readers. The illustrations randomly appearing between paragraphs is an exciting inclusion for readers as they will be unsure when the next illustration will appear. The randomness of the illustrations has a positive effect on the story's pacing as readers will want to continue reading to see what the next illustration entails.
The illustrations strengthen the overall story as they aid readers in imagining what the characters and setting look like. The illustration style is simplistic, and no color is used, but the inclusion of these illustrations is integral to conveying a humorous tone and maintaining the attention of young readers. The illustrations randomly appearing between paragraphs is an exciting inclusion for readers as they will be unsure when the next illustration will appear. The randomness of the illustrations has a positive effect on the story's pacing as readers will want to continue reading to see what the next illustration entails.
Overall Rating: 4/5
References
Phelan, M. (2022). Leave It to Plum! (M. Phelan, Illus.). Greenwillow Books.
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