Today is National Serpent Day. (Yes, there is a day for just about everything. Except succotash. I'm thinking of trying to create one.) And what better way to celebrate then reading about our fine scaled friends.
Verdi by Janell Cannon
Verdi is about a young python. He is bright yellow with sporty stripes, and he likes it that way. He does not want to grow up and be green and slow like all the other pythons
Verdi is full of beautiful, lush, vibrant illustrations. It tells a story of a baby python. He and all his siblings are born yellow and his mother's wish for them all is that they grow up big and green. But Verdi doesn't want that. He thinks the green pythons are boring and lazy and does not want to be like them. Verdi is afraid of change. He does not want to grow up because he thinks he will not be him anymore. But the story is about Verdi learning that change isn't necessarily bad and who you are remains the same. It is a story about not being afraid of change or growing up, about not assuming your ideas and choices are always the best, about learning that (sometimes at least) your elders might actually know something you don't. It is beautifully told in a quiet voice so you are hearing the message without realizing there is a message. Children will learn the lessons but think they are just listening to a sweet story about a loveably baby python.
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