Kathy Whitehead: Looking for Uncle Louie
on the Fourth of July, Illustrated by Pablo
Torrecilla; Art from Her Heart, Illustrated by
Shane W. Evans
“Looking for Uncle Louie on the Fourth of
July” by Kathy Whitehead is the perfect
summer read as the national holiday
quickly approaches. The book, illustrated
by Pablo Torrecilla, perfectly captures
the excitement and anticipation young
children experience during Fourth of July
arades. Whitehead also does a great job
incorporating elements of the south into
the parade, including dancers in boots
and bandanas, a conjunto band, and the
highly anticipated lowriders. The only
thing missing from the parade is “Big
Joe’s” Uncle Louie! Join Joe as he watches
the celebration and searches for his uncle
as the parade continues.
32
INSITE May/June 2016
Also by Whitehead is “Art
From Her Heart,” inspired by the
true story of artist Clementine
Hunter and illustrated by Shane W.
Evans. Whitehead tells about the
extraordinary life of Clementine, a
slave who painted in her spare time.
Her paintings, and the story, depict
Clementine’s favorite memories –
feeding the chickens, fishing with her
grandson, spending time with her
husband, and more. It’s a story filled
with perseverance, passion, and hard
work, setting a great example for kids
to follow their dreams.
Philip Pearce: Rusti, Illustrated by Darcy Peters
For older readers, “Rusti” by Philip
Pearce is the perfect summer read. This
easy-to-read chapter book follows the
story of a young boy named Cody and a
pig from his family’s farm named Rusti.
Cody is in elementary school, but when he
is at home, he loves to help his dad with
chores around the farm. After noticing
that Rusti’s mom was injured and Rusti
could not feed, Cody offers to hand-feed
and raise Rusti. Rusti soon becomes more
than just a regular farm pig.
Rusti is not only a cute story about a boy
and a pig, but it teaches many great lessons
for young readers including farm life, doing
the right thing in tough situations, and
the value of hard work. It won’t take long
before Rusti has nudged her way into the
heart of these young readers.