PINKY and REX by James Howe

Pinky and Rex is a beginner chapter book. This series is about a young boy named Pinky and his friend, and neighbor, a young girl named Rex. These two friends are so close both in location and regarding their friendship that they have conversations through their windows. They visit each other daily and view Pinky’s stuffed animal collection and Rex’s dinosaur collection. One day Pinky, Rex and Pinky’s younger sister Amanda go to visit the museum. At the end of their visit they all visit the gift shop. In the gift shop Pinky, Rex and Amanda all want the same pink dinosaur. In the end, these three children come to a solution by all putting their money together and decided to share the animal. Personally, I enjoyed the moral of this story. Not only do the characters not fit into stereotypical gender roles, they also use problem solving skills to create a solution to their problems. As educators I believe it is important to teach students about respect and about critical thinking skills. Respecting others creates a safe and comfortable learning environment where all students can benefit from learning.