Piper and Purpa forever!

Piper is just a toddler when she pulls a purple sweater from a box of her cousin's cast-off clothes and names it Purpa. She loves the big pullover, which extends below her knees. Gradually, she grows into it and, eventually, out of it. While no one can convince her to stop wearing Purpa, the struggle to pull it on and peel it off frustrates five-year-old Piper. When her dad gives her a new stuffed animal, a koala, her mother reminisces, "I remember when you were that size . . . and Purpa was big on you." Inspired, Piper dresses him in the sweater. And at show-and-tell the next day, she introduces him to her classmates, saying, "I've named him Purpa." The dilemma presented by beloved but outgrown clothes has been tackled in a number of picture books, but the fact that Piper finds the solution here will make this story particularly pleasing to young children. The characters' emotions are easy to discern in the colorful digital artwork. A brightly illustrated picture book with a narrative that reads aloud well.

PreS-Gr 1--Lendroth's text seamlessly captures a child's love of something that they are slowly outgrowing without resorting to sentiment or nostalgia. "Piper loved her purple sweater. She loved it even before she could pronounce the word purple." Some kids have a blankie or binkie, but Piper has Purpa, and for so long that she outgrows it. Her family members suggest new uses for Purpa, but Piper says no until the day she gets a new stuffed animal, a koala, and as he is given the sweater, he is also given Purpa's name. Feng's illustrations effortlessly depict all the characters' various emotions (including the dog and koala) with skill and humor. The family's adorable Yorkie is in nearly every scene, adding to the story's light humor. VERDICT A delightful story of growing up, but not giving up on the thing you love.--Catherine Callegari