It's time for Max and Zoe to learn how to draw self portraits in art class. But Zoe tries to draw too fast and can't get hers right. She needs to learn to slow down so she can finish her portrait in time to put it on the big canvas.
Zoe struggles with completing her self-portrait. Her friend Max helps her slow down, and working together, he helps her enjoy art again. The book has a good message about persistence and good friends.
This early reader “chapter book” is a great story about a young girl, Zoe, who is more than excited to start on the art project that she is doing in her class but she rushes through it and it doesn’t come out as good as she expected it to be. Meanwhile, her friend Max turns in his self portrait and it looks amazing. Throughout the story you read as Zoe struggles to get hers right. What I enjoyed about this book was that it revolves around friendship and helping each other out. it teaches children to be patient and listen to instructions if they want to do well in a certain project or personal goal. The text is easy to follow along for a beginning reader and it’s separated by chapters to let them feel as though they are reading an actual chapter book. The illustrations are colorfully true to life and cartoony at the same time. another thing I appreciated about this book was that in the end it gave information about the author and the illustrator along with a glossary, discussion questions and writing prompts and an activity! I’ve never seen that done with a book before. I’ve seen author info, glossary and discussion questions but never with writing prompts and an activity. So, I appreciated that very much. This is a book that is part of a series of books about “Max and Zoe” so I’m happy to know that there are more books like this.