Malo and the Merry-Go-Round

Description

It's a beautiful day and Malo has promised to help his best friend Poto make pickles. But when Malo hears there's a new merry-go-round in the forest, all bets are off. Abandoning Poto, he rushes through the forest, ignoring a boar in need of help, snapping at a cuckoo, and smooshing a dung beetle's dung. When he finally finds the merry-go-round, Malo realizes that riding alone would be no fun at all. Lucky for Malo, his friend Poto not only forgives him, but also helps him set his other wrongs right with the forest animals. This delightfully offbeat tale, set in a whimsical forest of giant mushrooms and towering trees, teaches the importance of saying "I'm sorry," forgiveness, and friendship.

Maria Dek lives and works in Bialowieza, a village located in the oldest forest in Europe, where she creates original and expressive watercolor illustrations that stir the reader's imagination. Her prior books include A Walk in the Forest, When I am Big, and Look, It's Raining. She holds degrees from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and University of the Arts London.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Selfishness and rudeness lead only to loneliness in this joyously offbeat fable. Dek's eccentric visual humor and playfulness make for an amusing parable.

Kirkus Reviews

Dek's fablelike text offers enough detail that readers will be a step or two ahead of Malo as he learns his lesson (and they will love the slapstick). Its moral clarity, coupled with vibrant watercolor images against white space, makes this picture book a good text to use with groups. A warm story about the importance of companionship and forgiveness.