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
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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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