Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
For fans of Parts, Tedd Arnold returns with More Parts, continuing the theme of twisted idioms that strike fear in the heart of the uninitiated child. For example, when Dad asks his son to "Please give him a hand!" the bug-eyed boy is shown holding his unhinged appendage by the thumb. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-Through zany, brightly colored illustrations and rhyming verse, Arnold explores common figures of speech that amaze and frighten a young boy. "I'll bet that broke your heart," "give him a hand," "Hold your tongue," and "jumps out of his skin" are only a few of the sayings that worry the protagonist, whose imaginings are energetically depicted in colored-pencil and watercolor washes. Goofy, cartoonlike artwork explores the deepest recesses of the child's overwrought and overworked imagination. Kids will love faces cracking, lungs being coughed up, and bodies flying apart. Vivid color and a robust artistic style will attract younger children who may not get the joke, but older children and parents will. Singsong verses in hand-lettered text strain to rhyme in some instances, with a forced, uneven gait. Although the boy's parents reassure him, the story ends where it begins. The father, who "didn't mean to be unkind," tells the child that they were afraid that he'd lost his mind. The final drawing has the boy's brain falling out of his head and onto the floor. This story is like a wild and crazy, totally manic Amelia Bedelia. Children will ask for it again and again.-Alice Casey Smith, Sayreville Public Schools, Parlin, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
As he did with [cf2]Parts,[cf1] Arnold illustrates the literal meaning of figures of speech relating to parts of the body. For example, the boy worries when his mom says, I'll bet that broke your heart. The joke goes on too long, but Arnold's burlesque illustrations will make kids laugh their heads off. From HORN BOOK Spring 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The literal-minded lad who worried so hilariously about losing his Parts (1997) returns for a series of anxiety-inducing encounters with figures of speech. What exactly do people mean by asking him to lend a hand, promising that a joke will crack him up, or telling him to stretch his arms and legs? How, exactly, is he supposed to hold his tongue? Does a friend's baby sister really cry her lungs out every night? In Arnold's cartoony illustrations, the pop-eyed narrator envisions the disastrous results of taking these expressions at face value, then proceeds to strap, wrap, and glue himself up, just to be safe. The gross-out factor is toned down for this sequel, but young readers who find Amelia Bedelia a trifle too self-possessed will warm to this neurotic young rhymester. (Picture book. 6-8)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
