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above: John Hercules Po and his 19 girl classmates dig a tunnel to China and walk along the Great Wall...
19 Girls and Me -written by Darcy Pattison & illustrated by Steven Salerno, published by Philomel Books/Penguin Young Readers, 2006.
On the first day of Kindergarten John Hercules Po is startled to see his classmates are 19 girls! Through their imaginative recess adventures visiting the Himalayas, the Great Wall of China, the Amazon jungle, and even the moon, they all become 20 friends.
"Salerno's ink-and-watercolor illustrations are wonderfully imaginative. Through using the contrast of grayish hues for the school related pictures with the intense color burst of the recess illustrations, he conveys the uplifting sense of freedom the children experience when they surrender themselves to play” -KIrkus Reviews
“The mixed-media illustrations include wild color combinations and dizzying perspectives that provide the backdrops for the children, drawn in a stylishly simple but endearing style” -School Library Journal
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above: cropped view of the cover for 19 Girls and Me.
see Steven’s complete list of published picture books to date
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above: the children encounter a giant Yeti beast above the clouds in the Himalayan mountains.
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above: John Hercules Po and the 19 new friends he made in the Kindergarten class.
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above: all the children head out into the schoolyard for recess, where their imaginative, wild adventures begin...
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above: detailed cropped view of John Hercules Po and his 19 girl classmates walking along the Great Wall of China...
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above: detailed cropped view of a page from the printed book... John Hercules Po and his classmates during recess -building a tower reaching to the moon.