Review by Booklist Review
In a nearly wordless tale, Barnett and Frazee unfurl the story of a former-circus performer who overcomes a fear of heights. The dramatic opening takes readers beneath the big top, where the Great Zapfino (a small, bald boy in a striped outfit) peers over the edge of a stories-high platform. Rather than leaping to the small trampoline, as the ring master's booming voice announces he will, Zapfino books it back down the ladder, hops on a plane, and takes up a new--much safer--life as an elevator operator in a high-rise apartment building. Frazee's pencil illustrations intersperse panel-like sequences with full-page renderings, all filled with soft detail and well-timed drama. Zapfino's life comes full circle when a toaster mishap sets his apartment ablaze, forcing him to leap from his window to the fire-department's trampoline below. At once his circus training kicks in, and the Great Zapfino tumbles through the air, sproings off the trampoline, and sticks the landing. This fun mini-adventure will delight kids as they pore over the illustrations and fill in story details with their imaginations.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The combination of Barnett's popularity and Frazee's Caldecott-honor cred will make this a hot commodity.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
An unassuming performer gets a stupendous second chance in a lighter-than-air story from Barnett (John's Turn) and Frazee (the Farmer books). Circus performer the Great Zapfino doesn't look as impressive as the name suggests. The paper-white high diver has a head like a bowling ball, ears that stick straight out, a cape, and a striped bathing suit. "Prepare to gasp as Zapfino dives ten terrifying stories through the air, landing on a tiny trampoline!" cries the circus ringleader from far below, as the Great Zapfino peers with dread over the edge of an impossibly tall diving board. A moment later, Zapfino's gone, sprinting from tent to airport to a brand-new, beachside life far away, rendered in vignettes crammed with tiny, surprising scenes as the figure dons an elevator operator's suit, and takes life's ups and downs more slowly. Then fate conjures a situation eerily like the one Zapfino has left, giving the figure another chance to shine. Worked in pencil on matte film, Frazee's lightly smudgy comic line drawings convey relief, repose, terror, suspense, and, at last, Olympian-level physical skill in this droll comedy. Ages up to 8. Agent (for Barnett and Frazee): Steven Malk, Writers House. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2--"Behold: The Great Zapfino!" In this nearly wordless tale, Barnett and Frazee depict the story of a former circus performer who decides to explore a safer form of employment. In the beginning, readers see the fearless Zapfino climbing to great heights in his circus performance for an incredible leap. Then he breaks the fourth wall, looks straight at readers, and disappears. He retires to a seemingly quieter life as an elevator attendant in a high-rise building. But his circus training comes in handy in his new life as a toaster fiasco sets the building on fire and he, once again, must make a leap for his life! Readers will revel in Frazee's black-and-white drawings that transform the intense life-or-death story line to one of whimsy and hilarity. Children will revel in their role of filling in the wordless pages with their own tale of what is happening in Zapfino's life. VERDICT This charming tale will have children of all ages spellbound. Highly recommended for purchase.--Katherine Forsman
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The stage is set, the circus curtains part, and out walks the short, bald, and unassuming Great Zapfino, who will leap from death-defying heights onto a tiny trampoline. Barnett plays up the drama from the story's breathtaking launch, as the ringmaster promises: "Zapfino will dodge peril and brave calamity in an impossible feat of derring-do!" But after climbing a towering ladder, the performer looks down, glances at readers, and then disappears. In the following wordless scenes, we see him hop on a plane to a sunny seaside town and, fittingly, take a job as an elevator operator in a high rise. This quiet new life is good until he inadvertently starts a fire with his toaster. It is finally in this moment that, in order to save his own life, the man triumphantly leaps from the top floor ("Behold!") onto a trampoline held by firefighters. Readers can interpret the story in more than one way: does Zapfino overcome a fear of heights in a moment of crisis? Had he merely been tired of the pressure to perform? Perhaps he wants to accomplish the leap all on his own, without a showy cape and the probing eyes of an audience. Most of the story plays out wordlessly in Frazee's animated grayscale pencil illustrations. With its expert pacing and delightful details, this is a splendid collaboration between two picture-book greats. Julie Danielson May/June 2022 p.113(c) Copyright 2022. 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 diminutive circus high diver loses his nerve. Behold! Rendered entirely in pencil on transparent film and accompanied by hand-lettered text, this tour de force of visual storytelling features the Great Zapfino, an adorable little man with a pale cue-ball head, huge ears, and a striped bathing outfit. "Prepare to gasp as Zapfino dives ten terrifying stories through the air, landing on a tiny trampoline!" the ringmaster announces as Zapfino enters the circus tent and climbs a ladder to a diving board. Frazee's grayscale spreads, which simultaneously capture the petrifying perspective and the details of Zapfino's body language and expressions, leave readers unsurprised when Zapfino bolts from the tent in panic. The remainder of the book is almost wordless and utterly charming; a combination of full-page compositions and vignette panels present Zapfino's new life as an elevator operator in an art deco high-rise by the beach. It's a simple life: He rides the elevator (marvelous pages full of rectangles tell the stories of the various residents he encounters), makes toast, and gazes at the night sky. Until one day, the toaster malfunctions and he must evacuate via window. And there, 10 stories down, firefighters are holding a trampoline outstretched, waiting for him to jump. Behold! The Great Zapfino comes full circle, conquering his fear and illuminating the greatness within. Perfectly plotted and visually superb. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
