Review by Booklist Review
Max has his name on his wall, his blanket, his mug, and even his night-light. Every evening, his parents say good night to their one and only Max. One day at the park, however, when someone calls for Max, three different kids (and a dog!) coming running, and they discover they all share a name. Perhaps Max isn't the one and only. Perhaps there are hundreds, even millions of Maxes! Wolitzer is a streamlined, effective storyteller in any format, and this sweet journey manages to pack a lot of messaging about friendship, uniqueness, and self-acceptance into its short pages. The palette is bright and happy with its warm pinks, bold oranges, and rich blues, and the deliberate inclusion of diverse races and body types within the artwork--not merely because Max is biracial, or because the other Maxes are a Black girl and a white boy, but on every page--is as thoughtful as it is lovely. Following the much-appreciated trend of picture books with overtly positive messaging, the reader cannot help but celebrate with the various Maxes as they discover that even with the same name, they're still one in a million.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The direct prose style of Wolitzer (To Night Owl from Dogfish) makes a seamless transition to the picture book in this volume. No one has told Max, a boy with brown skin, that names go in and out of fashion--his parents call him "the one and only Max," so why shouldn't that be so? His sense of uniqueness evaporates one day at the playground, though, when his name is called out and two other Maxes--a Black child on skates and a white child on a scooter--also come running. "I am NOT the one and only Max," he mourns internally. "And I never, ever was." But playing with the other Maxes proves so much fun--the three bond over a playground-wide search for a lost object and even meet a fourth Max--that the protagonist ends the day embracing his membership in a club in which "we all have the same name, but we're completely different." The cheery aesthetic of Player (Paletero Man)--colors that pop, crisply rendered characters who wear their hearts on their sleeves as they run hither and yon--matches Wolitzer's warm, knowing voice page for page, and Player's varied digital compositions capture the visceral excitement of an action-packed day outside. Ages 3--5. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--The one and only Max is used to being the one and only. His name is all over his room; he has "Max" cup and a "Max" night light. On a trip to the playground, however, he meets two other kids named Max. This surprises him; if there are two more Maxes, there might be millions of them. When one of the other Maxes loses a pink pine cone, the three of them work together to find it. Max doesn't mind that he is no longer the one and only; they have the same name, but are still each unique. This picture book is an excellent portrayal of a kid with a certain world view having it very much shaken. It models a helpful reaction for processing new information, reminding readers that they can believe one thing one day and learn something that alters that the next. VERDICT With the added draw of cartoon-like art, this is a one-of-a-kind and entertaining picture book for all kinds of readers.--Myiesha Speight, formerly at Towson Univ., Baltimore
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young boy is surprised to learn others are also named Max. "The one and only Max," an affectionate moniker given to him by his parents, is reinforced by iterations of his name emblazoned all over his room. During a visit to the park, Max is shocked to discover two other children answering to Max: a Black girl on roller skates and a White child on a scooter. Putting his confusion and discomfort aside, Max volunteers to help roller-skating Max find her pink pine cone. All three Maxes jubilantly scour the park searching for the missing item. Working together has warmed the formerly one-and-only Max to the existence of more Maxes. Later he corrects his parents, explaining he's one of many Maxes, and despite the shared name, each Max is different in their own way. Since more text is devoted to the pine-cone search than to showing what makes each Max distinct, readers must rely on their depictions to understand what he means, with most differences being physical attributes. The cheerful, cartoony illustrations and vivid color palette are pleasing but can't overcome the rushed ending and the promotion of body type and skin and hair color as the primary ways individuals can be distinct. Main character Max is biracial, with medium-brown skin and curly, dark-brown hair; his mom presents Asian, and his dad presents Black. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Mistakenly places emphasis on appearances over millions of other ways people can be unique. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
