The Verts: A Story of Introverts and Extroverts

The similarities between pale-skinned siblings Estie and Ivan Vert begin and end with their curly brown hair—as their parents say, “Estie is Estie, and Ivan is Ivan.” On Ivan’s birthday, Estie impulsively throws a boisterous party, welcoming the family’s neighbors to fill their living room. After dinner, Ivan retreats, first into the kitchen with their mother (“They stand side by side, Mrs. Vert washing a plate and Ivan drying. It’s very nice”), then to his favorite place behind the sofa, where he sits reading a book under a blanket. Like the wise parents in this story, previous collaborators Patchett and Glasser (Escape Goat) don’t favor either sibling. The text empathizes with Ivan’s desire for quiet and solitude, while watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil art shows the humdinger of a party that illustrates Estie’s affinity with a crowd. What matters is the siblings’ dual epiphany, articulated with emotional acuity: Ivan’s solo happiness pleases Estie, “even though she’ll never understand how a person wouldn’t want a party,” while “Ivan knows her heart is in the right place, even if she never listens to him.” Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)