Perfectly Norman

PreS-Gr 2—Percival celebrates the differences among children to challenge the concept of normal. In digital artwork with hand-painted textures, a brilliantly hued Norman stands out in a black-and-white world. He is "perfectly normal" until he grows wings. He hides them under a coat and in a series of vignettes and full-page layouts, Norman becomes increasingly miserable. His white mother and black father recognize that something is wrong, and Percival's illustrations clearly show they're supportive and caring. It is because of their encouragement that Norman finally reveals his wings and flies, which prompts his friends, who are wearing coats of their own, to throw them off and join him in the sky in a vibrant full-color spread. Bold and varying text size along with punctuation provide clever clues for how to read this to best effect, which makes this an ideal selection for storytimes. The repetition of the word normal provides wonderful opportunities for discussion about the meaning of the word.