Jul
15
Written by:
host
7/15/2009 7:00 AM
Children know about friendships. And they know that friends don’t always get along. So they will definitely be able to identify with the main characters in the book, When Pigasso met Mootisse by Nina Laden.
I met Pigasso and Mootisse when my friend, Ellen, told me she had recently shared this book with the children at her church, telling them “this book is not at all about God, but very much about living the way God wants us to live.”
As you might guess from the title, When Pigasso met Mootisse is the story of a pig and a bull. Both of them are accomplished painters, though their painting styles are very different. They end up buying houses across the street from each other, and that is how they meet. At first, things went well. But then… Well, I’m not going to tell you the rest of the story, because I really think you should read it yourself! Suffice it to say that eventually Pigasso and Mootisse learn that they can be different and still be friends.
The book’s illustrations are brightly colored and true to the style of the artists from whom the characters get their name. Even older kids will enjoy the way that the illustrations are used to help tell the story. As an added bonus, the last two pages of the book provide, “The True Story of Picasso and Matisse,” enabling you to expose children to art history in an enjoyable way.
Although lessons on friendship are appropriate anytime, they are particularly applicable as children head back to school in several weeks. As they make new friends and reunite with friends they haven’t seen over the summer, they can remember Pigasso and Mootisse and their friendship.
~Sally Hoelscher