He brings dehydrated space food for lunch, wears a tie and straw hat, uses a slide rule and quill pen, can’t play at recess...
Not only is Marshall Armstrong a new student, he is probably the most different kid the school has ever seen.
He brings dehydrated space food for lunch, wears a tie and straw hat, uses a slide rule and quill pen, can’t play at recess per his doctor’s orders, doesn’t own a television and rides an old-fashioned bike with a huge wheel in the front. In short, he doesn’t fit in. So, when he invites everyone to his birthday party, the unnamed narrator is less than thrilled when his mom makes him go, assuming that it will be a terrible time. But there is more to Marshall than what his classmates can see, as they learn at a truly different—but very fun—birthday party. And having learned from knowing Marshall, when yet another new student joins his class, the narrator is quick to take her under his wing of friendship. Mackintosh’s graphic-design background is evident in his simply drawn, but detailed, illustrations. He uses color to great effect, drawing readers' eyes through the pictures and highlighting Marshall’s differences.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0036-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2011
Damp.
A good friend can change your life.
Duck loves settling down with a hot beverage when he reads, but that’s the only liquid for him—he doesn’t like getting wet. As a result, he dresses in a yellow rain slicker constantly and spends rainy days inside with the shutters drawn. This solitary existence continues until one night when a particularly bad storm creates a hole in Duck’s roof. When he sets out to investigate repairing it, he comes face to face with a lost frog on his doorstep. Even though Frog loves the water, the two develop a friendship through a shared love of reading. Frog eventually finds his way home, but the two have bonded, and Duck invites Frog to join him as a new roommate. Although the story’s soft cartoon illustrations are amusing—Duck peddling his bicycle in his slicker, boots, and sou’wester will elicit smiles—they can’t save the superficial message of the story. Duck’s phobia is never directly addressed, but once Frog moves in permanently, the rain slicker vanishes, so there’s a bit of a visual resolution. Books addressing new friendships are always needed, but the characters need to be developed to attract and inspire readers. This pale imitation of Oliver Jeffers’ Lost and Found (2006) doesn’t have the depth needed to carry the message. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-15.8-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Damp. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 30, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8917-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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Charm incarnate.
A little creature lives a little life, devoid of opulence but full of splendor.
Split into three brief stories, this Japanese import follows Little Shrew as he indulges in the neat and tidy order of his life. In the first tale, readers observe the minutiae of Little Shrew’s day, from what he eats for breakfast to his commute to work. In a world full of large humans, Little Shrew has carved out a neat existence, replete with breaks at work and evenings filled with food, radios, and cozy chairs. The second story sees Little Shrew acquiring an old television set at a garage sale, along with a poster of Hawaii found in an alley; he then dreams of sunny shores. In the final entry, old acquaintances come to visit, and by the end Little Shrew thinks to himself, “It was a good year,” and that is that. Miyakoshi elevates the quotidian, showing how a simple life can be deeply satisfying in its regularity. Her intricate pencil, charcoal, and acrylic gouache artwork tints each scene in a delicate light, rendering Little Shrew both novel and infinitely familiar all at once. With his small stature but adult ways, he’s both a stand-in for young readers and a role model whom they may wish to emulate someday.
Charm incarnate. (Fiction. 5-8)Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781525313035
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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