Pawcasso, the latest book by Remy Lai, is out today! In celebration of its release, the author has kindly written a guest post from the viewpoint of the art teacher in Pawcasso!
Remy Lai, the award-winning creator of Pie in the Sky makes her middle-grade graphic novel debut, Pawcasso, about the unexpected friendship between the loneliest girl in class and the coolest canine in town.
“It’s tail-wagging entertaining!” —Kelly Yang, New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk
Pawcasso by Remy Lai
Publisher : Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks (May 25, 2021)
Paperback : 240 pages
Reading age : 8 – 12 years
Grade level : 4 – 6
Every Saturday, Pawcasso trots into town with a basket, a shopping list, and cash in paw to buy groceries for his family. One day, he passes eleven-year-old Jo, peering out the window of her house, bored and lonely. Astonished by the sight of an adorable basket-toting dog on his own, Jo follows Pawcasso, and when she’s seen alongside him by a group of kids from her school, they mistake her for Pawcasso’s owner.
Excited to make new friends, Jo reluctantly hides the truth and agrees to let “her” dog model for an art class the kids attend. What could go wrong? But what starts as a Chihuahua-sized lie quickly grows Great Dane-sized when animal control receives complaints about a dog roaming the streets off-leash. With Pawcasso’s freedom at stake, is Jo willing to spill the truth and risk her new friendships?
Character guest post: The art teacher!
When the kids suggested having Pawcasso model for our art class, I was sure it was the worst idea. And I was right. While he is a very gorgeous dog, he is curious like a cat. He is always exploring and sniffing something in the studio, and he is unable to sit still long enough for any of us to draw and paint him. A pear is a much more suitable subject.
But I was wrong just as much as I was right. Having Pawcasso join our class was also the most brilliant idea. He has drawn the kids closer together, simply because of their shared love for him. They start off talking about the dog, and that naturally segues to other topics of conversation.
Pawcasso has also brought some of my quieter students out of their shells. While he cannot help you solve problems, he always listens without judgement, and often, that is what a child—or grown-up—needs most.
Because the students are so excited about their subject matter, they independently explore different art mediums and techniques to express what Pawcasso means to them. As an art teacher, that gives me endless joy, and it reminds me of something I often forget as a grown up, that learning can be fun, too!
My review
Pawcasso is a wonderfully written and adorably illustrated middle grade book by Remy Lai. Those middle grades are some of the most awkward and uncomfortable years, aren’t they? Well, they are for main character Jo too. Her dad travels a lot, she doesn’t have friends, and she just feels like she doesn’t fit…until she runs into Pawcasso. Through Pawcasso, she makes friends, but just about everything they know about Jo is a big fib! She didn’t start out to tell a lie, but assumptions not corrected often snowball into the biggest of lies. And that leads to big problems!
I absolutely adored the characters in Pawcasso. They’re a diverse group of characters from Jo’s little brothers up to cranky, elderly neighbors. There is a lot going on in this book that your kids are bound to relate to some of it. It’s a heartwarming story with themes like community, family, friendship, and honesty. I definitely recommend that you get this one for your kids! They’ll love how the illustrations bring even more life to this delightful story.
About the author
Remy Lai studied fine arts, with a major in painting and drawing. She was born in Indonesia, grew up in Singapore, and currently lives in Brisbane, Australia, where she writes and draws stories for kids with her two dogs by her side. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed Pie in the Sky and Fly on the Wall.
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