Pie Is for Sharing

by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard, Jason Chin (Illustrator)

Overview

A picnic, a beach, a pie cut into pieces and shared with good friends.
Pie is for sharing.
It starts off round, and you can slice it into as many pieces as you want. What else can be shared? A ball, of course. A tree? What about time?
Through the course of one memorable Fourth of July picnic, Stephanie Ledyard and Jason Chin take young readers through the ups and downs of sharing in this lovely picture book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626725621
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	05/15/2018
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD370L (what's this?)
Age Range:	2 - 6 Years

About the Author

Stephanie Ledyard is an author, poet, and teacher. Pie Is for Sharing is her debut picture book. She grew up in Wichita Falls, Texas, but now lives in Dallas.

Jason Chin is the award-winning author of Redwoods, Coral Reefs, Gravity, and Island: A Story of the Galápagos, which was named a 2012 Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews. He is also the illustrator of the acclaimed Water is Water by Miranda Paul. His most recent book Grand Canyon received five starred reviews. Jason lives with his wife, Deirdre Gill, and their two children in Burlington, Vermont. jasonchin.net

Editorial Reviews

A book about sharing doesn't sound like much fun, but this one takes all the sting out. Ledyard's spare text is a poetic ode to things that are easy to share…with an acknowledgment of one that's hard (a best friend). Chin's sublime…illustrations [are] a master class in visual storytelling…

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

06/11/2018
A group gathers at a grassy riverfront park for leisurely Fourth of July festivities. The story begins with a focus on the pie that a family brings: “It starts out whole/ and round. Then... you can slice it/ into as many pieces/ as you wish./ Almost.” But the day calls for sharing beyond pie— “A book is for sharing./ A ball is nice for sharing, too./ And a tree?/ A tree is always shared,” Ledyard writes. In watercolor and gouache, Chin illustrates scenes brushed with gentle, lemony light as realistically expressive children jump rope, splash in the water, build sand castles, and explore. At dusk, everyone settles in to enjoy a fireworks display (“And a blanket?/ A breeze?/ The sky?/ These are for sharing.”) and a second berry pie. This is a visceral celebration of summertime, community, and open-ended play. Ages 2–6. Author’s agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

*"This isn't a flag-waving Fourth of July story, but it can be read as a gentle yet firm call for American readers to reflect on and embrace the ideal of pluralism. An aspirational vision in which inclusivity is as American as (apple) pie."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

*"There’s an echo of Ruth Krauss in the sweetly quotidian take on sharing possibilities and of Liz Gar- ton Scanlon’s All the World (BCCB 10/09) in the jubilant and lyrical togetherness, with an added hat-tip to classic ways of celebrating America’s birthday with her twenty-first century residents."— Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

*"This idyllic, joyously inclusive picture book takes an ordinary concept—sharing— and makes it extraordinary."—The Horn Book, starred review

*"The best part, though, is the positive, inclusive representation of a loving community sharing a celebration, fun, and, of course, pie."—Booklist, starred review

"Young readers will enjoy being a part of this halcyon summer day of family, friendship, and fun. Perfect for a holiday storytime or for everyday sharing."—School, Library Journal

From the Publisher

05/01/2018
PreS-Gr 1—Set against the verdant backdrop of a Fourth of July picnic, this effervescent picture book extols the glories of sharing. Chin's watercolor-and-gouache paintings depict a diverse group of families gathering at a woodsy lakeside setting in order to sample treats, play games, and explore nature. A boy, his little sister, their parents, and a black lab serve as unnamed protagonists. After riding their bikes to the picnic site, the boy happily dishes out a yummy-looking lattice-topped treat: "Pie is for sharing. It starts out whole and round. Then…you can slice it into as many pieces as you wish. Almost" (the last word is paired with an image of his disappointed sister with empty plate). What else can be shared? A tree (among many children frolicking in its branches), a jump rope (and "your place in the middle"), "time" (playing on the beach), "words and music" (enthusiastically sung into a banana), and more, culminating with fireworks in the night sky. Filled with details and motion, the winsome illustrations expand upon the playful text while creating an engaging visual story line for the featured characters. Ultimately, the best thing to share is a lovely sense of community. VERDICT Young readers will enjoy being a part of this halcyon summer day of family, friendship, and fun. Perfect for a holiday storytime or for everyday sharing.—Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs

School Library Journal

★ 2018-03-04
A delectable, festive celebration of pluralistic community. Frontmatter illustrations depict a white mother and Asian father with their two biracial children. They are packing up pies to share at a lakeside picnic, which takes place in a setting that seems based on Lake Champlain in northern Vermont, where Chin and his family reside (as revealed in the illustrator bio). The possibly autobiographical illustrative elements are nowhere dictated by Ledyard's spare, poetic text, but they may explain the powerful sense of community and affection that defines each spread as the central family interacts with a multiracial cast of characters with diverse skin tones and hair textures. They share pie, yes, but also a book, a ball, a climbing tree, a jump-rope, and then intangibles such as time, stories, words and music, and so on. The culminating illustration shows the assembled crowd gazing at fireworks, which may make readers recall subtle red-white-and-blue plates and picnic blanket. "And a blanket? A breeze? The sky? These are for sharing. // Just like pie" reads the closing text. This isn't a flag-waving Fourth of July story, but it can be read as a gentle yet firm call for American readers to reflect on and embrace the ideal of pluralism. An aspirational vision in which inclusivity is as American as (apple) pie. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews