The Magical Life of Mr. Renny

PreS-Gr 2—Mr. Renny, a pup, is a painter, and a very realistic one at that. Everything he creates looks exactly like what it is. One day when none of his works is selling, he wishes out loud that he could eat his painting of an apple. Maybe then he wouldn't be so hungry. In a flash a man appears and grants him his wish. From then on, all of Mr. Renny's subjects immediately come to life. He goes crazy painting pictures of anything and everything he can think of that he might want: dessert, a car, a boat, an airplane, and so on. But when his rabbit friend, Rose, asks him to paint something for her, he realizes that he can no longer create art for art's sake, and he paints a portrait of the man who granted his first wish. As expected, he appears, and Mr. Renny asks him to undo that wish and let him be a real painter again. And with a snap of the man's fingers, Mr. Renny is just that. This is a well-told tale with vibrant, eye-catching, colorful illustrations that will engage readers. The story will engender some wonderful discussion about instant gratification versus working at something you really love. This deceptively simple book will have a lot of classroom uses.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA