A Pen Pal for Max

From School Library JournalKindergarten-Grade 3-Maximiliano lives with his family on a farm in Chile. His father works in a vineyard that produces grapes for worldwide distribution. One day Max slips a note with his name, address, and a request for a pen pal into a box of the fruit. Amazingly, he receives a reply from 10-year-old Maggie, who lives in the U.S. They develop a correspondence comparing their very different lives. When an earthquake strikes Max's part of the world, Maggie and her friends send supplies to his school. The realistic, energetic watercolor illustrations extend the tale. This is a lovely story, albeit a trifle long, with an important message about friendship.-Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Product DescriptionA secret note wins Max a friend in a faraway countryMax doesn’t know what to expect when he slips a note into a box of grapes headed to the United States, so he is thrilled when he receives a response from a girl named Maggie. The two quickly become pen pals.Then one day Max’s village in Chile is hit by a huge earthquake, and his school must be closed because of damages. When the school finally reopens, a surprise is waiting for Max from his faraway friends.From BooklistK-Gr. 3. There is a real story in this upbeat picture book, which begins quietly on a huge Chilean fruit farm, where Max's father works in the vineyard. One day Max rides his pony to the farm's packing house and secretly slips a note into a box of grapes. The note eventually reaches Maggie in the U.S., and the kids write to each other--Max in Spanish (Maggie's teacher translates for her) and Maggie in English (a rich farm owner helps Max understand). Then a huge earthquake hits the farm, Max's school is destroyed, and Maggie's class sends boxes of books and supplies. Until the scary earthquake, the farm scenes are too idyllic, everyone always smiling and kind, but the bright, open artwork captures both the daily happiness and the dramatic upheaval. Best of all is the bilingual theme, which adds a new element to pen pal fun. Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorGloria and Ted Rand are a husband-and-wife team who have collaborated on a number of picture books, including Mary Was a Little Lamb and A Home for Spooky. Mr. Rand has illustrated many other popular titles for children, including Knots on a Counting Rope, Here Are My Hands, and Barn Dance! The Rands live on Mercer Island in Washington State.
Author: Rand, Ted

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Binding: Hardcover

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0805075860

ISBN-13: 9780805075861