Purple Is Best

Perhaps purple is the best, but Purple Is Best is the worst...                     

THREE PROS

*Despite their differences, Fred and Sue make every effort to share and, in the end, find a greater value in their combined effort (purple) than what each brought to the table individually 
*Supposedly promotes the understanding of a reading concept known as "consonant clusters", but at what cost
*In a few instances, illustrator Mike Cressy achieves a cool effect by popping the kids' eyeballs out of their eye-sockets; I just wish he did it throughout     

THREE CONS 

*Even when listed together, the 34 synonyms I found for inane don't fully describe my feelings about this experience (although I was happy to add the word jejune to my vocab bag)  

*Why would spilling paint drops on a monochromatic image turn the whole thing purple instead of in a few select spots

*Do their smocks match because they were school-supplied or did Cressy just give up trying when he saw what this project was going to ultimately be

ONE DAD'S OPINION

I'm curious to hear a teacher's take on this particular piece.  Are reading tools inherently this stale because it is the only way for kids to learn the basics?  I really hope not.  As a dad, I can't support anyone wasting a single nanosecond on this violet vomit.  It's plum terrible!                    

Buy / Borrow / Donate / DESTROY