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Author Elise Primavera (Thumb Love, The House at the End of Ladybug Lane) spins a tale of two best friends learning about what matters most. Alligators Simon Greensnout and Scarlett Starlett have
big dreams. He wants to explore the world and discover amazing things; she wants to be a great singer.
A cypress tree, a witch, and a magical silver dollar throw a wrench in their plans. Simon ends up transformed into a donkey by the angry witch, while Scarlett becomes a successful songstress (who will "never find another thing") thanks to the witch's backhanded spell. When Scarlett's crowds start to wane as she grows lonelier without Simon, she sets off back into the forest.
A confrontation with the witch leaves the cypress scorched to the ground, but Simon and Scarlett are reunited and realize that the answer to the recurring question of "Who needs love?" is that they do.
Primavera and illustrator Laura Park both have previous children's books under their belts. Primavera's writing has been accompanied to great effect by widely varying illustrative styles. Park's work has included James Patterson's "Middle School" series, with a style that matches those books' tones perfectly. But her amazing watercolor backgrounds here can't enhance the story enough on their own. The informal cartoonish style in which the characters are drawn seems at odds with the tale they accompany. The whole of this book is unfortunately not greater than its parts.
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Who Needs Love?