GROW UP, DAVID!
by David Shannon ; illustrated by David Shannon
As if he couldn’t get into trouble enough on his own, David has a big brother to “help.”
Returning to his hapless alter (?) ego after eight years (It’s Christmas, David!, 2010), Shannon brings his older sibling—or at least, to judge from the pictures, said sibling’s lower portions—into play for a series of moments captioned by phrases that will be ultrafamiliar to all but only children: “No, David!” “You’re too little.” “Stop following me!” “That’s mine!” Drawn as before in a loose style with visible corrections and mottled, garishly colored backgrounds, the illustrations capture both the emotional intensity of David’s roller-coaster world and, in hilarious close-up tableaux, a series of brotherly tussles, pranks, domestic disasters, and goofy bids for attention. Many of Caldecott honoree No, David!’s iconic illustrations are mirrored here, including some mild (if catastrophic for the plumbing) potty humor, a close-up of David’s wide-open, bawling mouth, and both brothers in timeout. Just to show that big bro’s not entirely a brat, after David wangles his way into a big kids’ football game and gets clobbered, he gets a noogie and a “Nice catch!” that give the end a note of rough affection. Both brothers present white.
Nice to see you again, David! (Picture book. 4-6)