Review by Booklist Review
A chilly day becomes a fantastic adventure when three friends follow a monarch butterfly to an abandoned carousel where they discover an old manual typewriter. Experimenting with its keys, they learn that anything they type becomes reality: Typing out beach takes them to a sandy shore. Ball provides a fun game. Ice cream produces a surprise a bucket of treats as tall as the kids! When one of the kids types crab, they're in trouble, until the savvy girl types wave, which washes the monster crustacean back out to sea, and then types The End to return home. This mostly wordless story recalls Crockett Johnson's Magic Beach and any number of Edward Eager novels in which friends find a magic item and experiment with what it can do. Magnificent photo-realistic art makes the magic plain as day and reinforces both the wonder and menace of unexpected events. Sharp-eyed youngsters will notice details like the name of the typewriter Spelling Bee and relate it to the bee-shaped amusement park ride where they found it. An imaginative trip worth taking.--Willey, Paula Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
As in Thomson's Chalk and Fossil, a chance discovery leads children on a wild, even perilous, journey. In this case, the found object is a typewriter, discovered at a carousel that has been closed down for the winter. Typing the word "beach" instantly transports three children-an African-American girl and two boys, one white, one Asian-from their wintry surroundings to a sweeping empty beach at the height of summer. The fun of playing with a beach ball and diving into a giant sand bucket full of ice cream is interrupted when the girl uses the typewriter to summon an enormous, threatening crab. Other than the words typed by the children, the story is wordless; Thomson's dramatic, ultra-realistic illustrations have won him many accolades, and his fans won't be disappointed with his work here, rendered in acrylic and colored pencil. The children's exaggerated expressions telegraph their wonder, fear, and relief when they use the typewriter to dispatch the giant crab. It's a thrilling visual adventure and reminder of the way words can transport us-if not quite so literally. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Three friends ride their bikes to a deserted carousel on a wintry day; a lone monarch butterfly suggests whimsy despite the snow banks and heavy coats. Though the attraction is closed for the season, they find a mysterious black box covered in white letters atop a ride-on bumblebee. The children-a white boy, black girl, and Asian boy-marvel in dismay.the box contains a relic from the past-an old manual typewriter. The girl types the word beach, and they are suddenly on a sandy beach with majestic blue waves. Coats are shed and a chase ensues-boy with crab pursuing laughing girl. The other boy types "Ball," prompting a spirited game of volleyball with a giant colored beach ball. "Ice Cream" delivers a giant orange bucket of dessert with three yellow shovel spoons. Next, a giant "Crab" attack is foiled by a "Big Wave." Finally, the girl types "The End," and coats are donned, the typewriter is returned to its case, and the friends cycle off. The stunningly realistic art, created with acrylic paint and colored pencils, features full-spreads, panels, and close-ups that reveal the children's awe and delight. Reminiscent of Thomson's Chalk (Two Lions, 2010), this title is another celebration of the power of imagination. Students can imagine what word they would type and illustrate their own scenarios. VERDICT A feast for the eyes and inspiration for the mind.-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools © Copyright 2016. 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 Kirkus Book Review
Three kids find an old typewriter, igniting spectacular surprises when they start playing with it. Wearing parkas and riding bikes, a white boy, an Asian boy, and a black girl follow a butterfly down a road bordered by snowbanks to an abandoned carousel, where a seat in the shape of a giant bumblebee holds a mysterious black case. Opening the case, they find an old manual typewriter bearing the logo "SpellingBee." Retrieving paper from her backpack, the girl rolls a piece onto the platen and types the word "Beach." Instantly, they're on a sunny beach. When one of the boys types "Ball," a beach ball appears. Typing "Ice Cream" produces a larger-than-life bucket of ice cream. Mischievously, the girl types "Crab," and a sci-fi-sized crab with menacing claws chases them. Realizing her mistake, the girl hurries to type the right words to save this incredible day. As in Fossil (2013), Thomson relies on acrylic paint and colored pencils in his signature style to create illustrations of startling photographic realism. Adroit use of light, exaggerated and unusual perspectives, and intense close-ups emphasize the kids' facial expressions (curiosity, surprise, joy, awe, terror) as well as their size in relation to the gargantuan ice cream bucket and fearsome crab. Words rule in this intriguing, impressive, imaginative, nearly wordless narrative drama. (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
