CALVIN, CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE

A boy has a theory that he’s the center of the universe, laying out his argument in a seemingly logical manner in Gonterman’s debut picture book.

Calvin, a young White boy, tells readers how a great many things seem to revolve around him, including his dog, who runs around his legs; ants, which march around him on the sidewalk; and even snowflakes, which drift around him until they land in his mouth. Because of this “proof,” Calvin theorizes that everything in the universe must spin around him. The protagonist’s self-awareness (“I know how that must sound”) is the key to the story’s appeal, cluing readers in to the casual nature of his conjecture. Calvin is ready to take on his extremely important role as center of the universe, for example, as long as there’s plenty of lemonade on his spaceship. The story is good-natured, lighthearted, and clever, but its lack of any other human characters may alienate some readers. The illustrations are bright and textured and reminiscent of Lane Smith’s in Jon Scieszka’s The Stinky Cheese Man(1992). The backgrounds are fully fleshed out, but the images stay focused on Calvin at the forefront, which is thematically appropriate.

An offbeat combination of physics and humorous imagination.