Booklist starred (February 1, 2016 (Vol. 112, No. 11))
Grades K-2. Following his Caldecott win for The Adventures of Beekle (2014), Santat offers an imaginative account of a boy’s car trip to his grandmother’s birthday party. What begins in excitement quickly devolves into boredom as minutes stretch into an hour. But then, readers are invited to consider what happens when their brain grows “too bored.” Let the interactive reading begin! The words begin to spiral around a spread featuring the boy’s glazed expression, forcing the book to be rotated and read upside down. Suddenly, the slow-moving time transports the car back in history, placing it alongside a steam locomotive, a pirate ship, a jousting knight, and the newly built Sphinx in Cairo. The whole time, the parents appear startled by the changing scenery, but the boy’s complaints (“My butt hurts”) continue until time stretches all the way back to the dinosaur-filled Jurassic period. Finally, he starts having fun, and time starts to fly; back around the book goes, sending the family to Grandma’s at last. The gambit to get kids involved in the story works, and Santat’s rich illustrations—ranging from double-page spreads to comic-style panels—carry it home. The text, on the other hand, reads a bit like greeting-card advice, but the inventive format and engrossing artwork will make kids happy to go along for the ride.
Reading this book to 2nd graders is really a fun experience. I tell them that the author is Dan Santat,,,,,who is that? they ask. Next I hold up Beekle and they explode with interest. I tell them that just like Beekle, this book is not just a surface story. I read it through once and then we go back and look at all the clues in the illustrations about what is really happening. We then share ways to travel and pass the time. This is a great book to share when vacation time and car trips are just around the corner!
Posted by Margo Irving
Reading this book to 2nd graders is really a fun experience. I tell them that the author is Dan Santat,,,,,who is that? they ask. Next I hold up Beekle and they explode with interest. I tell them that just like Beekle, this book is not just a surface story. I read it through once and then we go back and look at all the clues in the illustrations about what is really happening. We then share ways to travel and pass the time. This is a great book to share when vacation time and car trips are just around the corner!
Posted by Margo Irving
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