by Mark Shulman ; illustrated by Adam McCauley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2013
Although the complex form is challenging to imitate, this tale will surely spark fun wordplay; successful practitioners will...
It is bad enough that Robert’s Mom and Dad Are Palindromes (2006), but when he learns that his sisters are anagrams, it nearly sends him over the edge.
To Shulman’s credit, while presenting the “more than 101” (according to the jacket) different word, phrase or sentence pairs that have the same letters, he manages to create a plot with a problem for his hero to resolve: “Grandma Reagan is in Anagram Danger.” The strategic use of distinct typographies for the wordplay and the mirroring of color for specific letters in selected pairs will help readers see just how true this and other statements are—literally. They will have a field day tracking the word puzzles, from the cross-stitched Neil Armstrong quote (and its re-phrased version) on the endpapers to the “Despaired dried peas” and “Old Nose noodles” in Grandma’s pantry. McCauley’s mixed-media compositions, rendered in primary colors, take inspiration from comic books, The Twilight Zone and pop art for a mid-20th-century aesthetic. The far-fetched and funny conclusion featuring a giant “tuna” is an appropriate match for the opening, in which grandma sends Robert to find his “aunt,” but only the savviest of vocabulary aficionados will have seen it coming. Repeated readings reveal more playfulness, starting with the dedication.
Although the complex form is challenging to imitate, this tale will surely spark fun wordplay; successful practitioners will fawn proudly. (Picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4521-0914-5
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
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by Kate Klise ; illustrated by M. Sarah Klise ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 10, 2013
Most children will agree the book is “smafunderful (smart + fun + wonderful).” (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-10)
In this entertaining chapter book, the first in a series, readers meet kind Sir Sidney and the gentle performers and hands in his circus. But Sir Sidney is tired and leaves the circus under the management of new-hire Barnabas Brambles for a week.
That Sir Sidney is beloved by all is quickly established, presenting a sharp contrast to the bully Brambles. The scoundrel immediately comes up with a “to do” list that includes selling the animals and eliminating the mice Bert and Gert. (Gert is almost more distressed by Brambles’ ill-fitting suit and vows to tailor it.) Revealed almost entirely through dialogue, the put-upon animals’ solidarity is endearing. The story, like the circus train now driven by the Famous Flying Banana Brothers, takes absurd loops and turns. The art is fully integrated, illustrating the action and supplementing the text with speech bubbles, facsimile letters and posters, Brambles’ profit-and-loss notes, examples of Gert’s invented vocabulary and more. Brambles’ plans go awry, of course, and he gets his comeuppance. With Bert and Gert acting as his conscience, along with a suit from Gert that finally fits and a dose of forgiveness, Brambles makes a turnaround. Sensitive children may doubt Sir Sidney’s wisdom in leaving his animals with an unscrupulous man, and the closing message is a tad didactic, but that doesn’t blunt the fun too much.
Most children will agree the book is “smafunderful (smart + fun + wonderful).” (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-61620-244-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Algonquin
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
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Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
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New York Times Bestseller
Caldecott Honor Book
by Brendan Wenzel ; illustrated by Brendan Wenzel ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 30, 2016
A solo debut for Wenzel showcasing both technical chops and a philosophical bent.
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
Caldecott Honor Book
Wouldn’t the same housecat look very different to a dog and a mouse, a bee and a flea, a fox, a goldfish, or a skunk?
The differences are certainly vast in Wenzel’s often melodramatic scenes. Benign and strokable beneath the hand of a light-skinned child (visible only from the waist down), the brindled cat is transformed to an ugly, skinny slinker in a suspicious dog’s view. In a fox’s eyes it looks like delectably chubby prey but looms, a terrifying monster, over a cowering mouse. It seems a field of colored dots to a bee; jagged vibrations to an earthworm; a hairy thicket to a flea. “Yes,” runs the terse commentary’s refrain, “they all saw the cat.” Words in italics and in capital letters in nearly every line give said commentary a deliberate cadence and pacing: “The cat walked through the world, / with its whiskers, ears, and paws… // and the fish saw A CAT.” Along with inviting more reflective viewers to ruminate about perception and subjectivity, the cat’s perambulations offer elemental visual delights in the art’s extreme and sudden shifts in color, texture, and mood from one page or page turn to the next.
A solo debut for Wenzel showcasing both technical chops and a philosophical bent. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5013-0
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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