Review by New York Times Review
Edda's home is in Asgard, "a land full of magic and adventure." But Edda, the littlest Valkyrie, doesn't have quite enough to do, until her father flies her "all the way to Earth for the first day of school." The contrast between home and school is hard to get used to (in one, she can ride reindeer; in the other she gazes through glass at the classroom guinea pig). In his first picture book, Auerbach mingles the two worlds unapologetically. Children are likely to appreciate the joke. MY TEACHER IS A MONSTER! (NO, I AM NOT.) Written and illustrated by Peter Brown. 40 pp. Little, Brown. $18. (Picture book; ages 4 to 7) Brown, who won a 2013 Caldecott Honor for "Creepy Carrots!," can really make a teacher look terrifying. Ms. Kirby is as enormous as a rhino, with pointed teeth and big clawed hands. She stomps around and yells, and Bobby, one of the boys in her class, has gotten on her bad side by throwing a paper airplane. Later, when they meet by accident in the park, it's awkward. But "a gust of wind changed everything," and Bobby learns that appearances are not always as they seem. PLANET KINDERGARTEN By Sue Ganz-Schmitt. Illustrated by Shane Prigmore. 32 pp. Chronicle. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 7) After careful preparations and a successful blastoff, a boy finds himself in a very unfamiliar environment. "We're aliens from many galaxies on Planet Kindergarten," he reflects as he sees his very varied classmates for the first time. Prigmore, who designs for the movie industry, deploys black backgrounds, bright, popping colors and crazy layouts to give this space adventure visual excitement and madcap humor. THE SMALLEST GIRL IN THE SMALLEST GRADE By Justin Roberts. Illustrated by Christian Robinson. 32 pp. Putnam. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) It makes sense that the author of the long, rhyming lines in "The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade" is a children's music performer. This is a ballad, really, about the power of one small person to fight injustice. Sally, whom no one ever seems to notice, is "paying super extra special attention" to the "terrible stuff" happening around her. When she decides to take action, she's not alone for long. Robinson's colored-pencil illustrations give this inspiring story an appropriately childlike style. AND TWO BOYS BOOED By Judith Viorst. Illustrated by Sophie Black-all. 32 pp. Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $16.99. (Lift-the-flap picture book; ages 4 to 8) Ever felt quietly confident one minute, and a shivering mess the next? In Viorst's witty story about perseverance, a little boy wakes up thinking about singing his song in the class talent show. Blackall, who brings quirky expression to every illustration, shows him under a lift-the-flap patchwork quilt, eyes wide with excitement. But as he waits to perform, even his words get confused: "On the talent of the morning show, I was ready to song my sing." Just doing it turns out to be the solution. ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [September 7, 2014]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Bobby's teacher, Ms. Kirby, is a roaring, teeth-gnashing, galumphing giant green monster. Really! (And it has nothing to do with her reaction to that paper airplane Bobby threw.) When Bobby goes to the park to blow off some steam, something terrible happens: he runs into his ghastly teacher. Ms. Kirby isn't happy to see Bobby, either, but after some awkwardness, they start a friendly if formal conversation. When a sudden gust of wind blows Ms. Kirby's favorite hat away, Bobby's the one who catches it before it flies into the pond. Soon Ms. Kirby and Bobby are showing each other their favorite places in the park, and all the while, Ms. Kirby looks less like a grumpy monster and more like a friendly young teacher in a big hat. Brown (Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, 2013) shapes his cartoony characters with blocky patches of bright colors, and at the heart of the awkward-pause-filled humor are Bobby and Ms. Kirby's marvelous facial expressions: Bobby, with an impressive cowlick, has a constant look of shocked disbelief, while Ms. Kirby wears a deadpan grimace of resignation. That is, until they each learn there's more to the other than just a misbehaving student or grouchy teacher. This playful, eye-catching story goes a long way to humanize both teachers and students. Ed: kill the period after Not in the imprint title.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Context is key in this revelatory tale from Brown (Mr. Tiger Goes Wild), dedicated "to misunderstood teachers and their misunderstood students." Bobby and his teacher are at odds, and it's easy to see why: "Ms. Kirby stomped. Ms. Kirby roared." Ms. Kirby-who disapproves of Bobby's paper airplanes in class-looks like a furious komodo dragon, with her brown-speckled green skin, toothy underbite, and pointy claws. One Saturday at the park, the two accidentally meet. When a gusty wind nearly tosses Ms. Kirby's hat in a lake, Bobby saves the day, and Ms. Kirby rejoices. As they awkwardly chat, Ms. Kirby's fearsome features gradually transition from reptilian to human. Bobby relaxes too, and the thing that tore them asunder-the paper airplane-proves perfectly appropriate for fun at the park. Brown, imagining Ms. Kirby from a child's perspective, handles her transformation smoothly, prompting readers to revisit earlier pages. Comic traces of monstrosity linger in Ms. Kirby (she still goes green at classroom clowning) yet Brown makes it clear that teachers are people too-even the "mean" ones. Ages 4-8. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-With his signature retro-inspired, mixed-media illustrations, Brown's latest picture book explores a new facet of themes he's touched upon before: identity, perception, and acceptance. Bobby is a likable, if ever-so-slightly naughty, everykid. His big problem is Ms. Kirby, a giant reptilian creature with a mean overbite and a tendency to stomp and roar. She also happens to be Bobby's teacher. A carefree Saturday in the park is nearly ruined when Bobby runs into Ms. Kirby. Brown astutely captures that awkward moment when students encounter a teacher outside the context of the classroom. In a spread featuring Bobby on one end of a park bench and the hulking Ms. Kirby on the other, the gutter separates the two characters, emphasizing their physical and emotional distance. Over the course of the day, Bobby and his teacher learn that they share some interests. As the story progresses, Ms. Kirby incrementally loses her green hue, her massive snout, and her oversize limbs, slowly transforming into a regular human teacher. Besides the sweet message, the strength in this school story is the humor of Bobby's deadpan stare. Looking directly out from the pages with his wide eyes, Alfalfa-esque hairdo, and jug-handle ears, Bobby will win the hearts of readers with his rascally charm, if not the no-nonsense Ms. Kirby.-Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2014. 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
From the cover, it is clear that Bobby and his teacher do not agree: "My Teacher Is a MONSTER!" says Bobby in a giant word balloon; Ms. Kirby replies, "No, I Am Not." It's true that she is much taller than tiny Bobby, her skin is monstrously green, and she has claws and sharp teeth and giant nostrils. They clash in class when Bobby sends a paper airplane flying, but when later they meet unexpectedly at the park, they begin to see each other differently. In a multi-page sequence of panels, the pair sits awkwardly together on a park bench, and they converse in word bubbles: "Ms. Kirby, it's REALLY strange seeing you outside of school." "I agree." After Bobby catches her blown-off hat for her, they find more things to do together, and gradually in each picture, Ms. Kirby looks decreasingly monstrous as her face becomes less green and animal-like. Bobby isn't perfect at the end, and Ms. Kirby reverts to a little of her scariness when Bobby disobeys, but child readers will understand the subtle shift in their relationship. Using thick paper and watercolor/gouache/India ink illustrations, Brown uses a cartoon-type format with panels and speech bubbles, varying the pace with full-page art, in a story that students and teachers will enjoy equally. susan dove lempke (c) Copyright 2014. 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
A behaviorally challenged little boy for whom paper airplanes are a particular weakness learns to see his teacher as a person when he meets her outside the classroom.Bobby's teacher stomps, roars and takes away recess (not without reason). The little boy's one refuge is the parkbut so is Ms. Kirby's. In a marvelously illustrated, wordless spread, Brown shows how both Ms. Kirby and Bobby feel when their private moments are interrupted by the other. But in a show of maturity, Bobby understands that running away (no matter how much he may want to) will only make things worse. Some painful small talk and a hat rescued from the wind slowly lead the two to deeper interaction. And when Bobby takes her to his favorite high overlook, Ms. Kirby, who has slowly been losing her green skin, spiky teeth, hippolike nostrils and hulking bulk, silently hands him a piece of paper. The flight is epic. Afterward, Ms. Kirby still roars and stomps and frowns upon paper airplanes in class, though she retains her human features (if not her skin color, at least not all the time). The digitally composited and colored India ink, watercolor, gouache and pencil illustrations use a palette of green, shades of tan and brown, aqua and salmon that suits the text's tongue-in-cheek humor and monster theme, the colors brightening as Ms. Kirby loses her monster-ness.Here's hoping readers who are similarly challenged in the behavior department will get both messages: Teachers are people, and they give back what they get. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
