Review by Booklist Review
"Arnold hadn't meant for it to happen. Not exactly." He was just sitting on a beanbag in Room 6, "reading a book, which was his all-time favorite thing to do." Arnold's very favorite book is about planes, and he just knows if his classmates learned more, they'd love planes as much as he does. But Laila's busy reading about tomatoes ("Yuck."), and Naomi's book about submarines? "Arnold was altogether offended by the idea." When Arnold discovers he can wish away books on other topics, he's too gleeful to notice his friends' dismay until his own book vanishes, too--"POOF!" Laila gently starts a lesson in empathy for Arnold, and "each time he learned about a friend's book, ZING!" it reappears, phew! Dynamic ink-and-digital illustrations highlight Caldecott Medalist Santat's expressive portraiture, and Ho's quick and plotty text skillfully employs humor to deliver its educational yet undidactic message. Given increasing limits on book access, this pick could be the honey that enlightens a few flies.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Room 6's students are devoted readers: Arnold's favorite book, The History of Flight, makes his mouth "curve into a capital U," write Ho (We Who Produce Pearls) and Kusin Pritchard (The Keeper of Stories). But Arnold, who perches solo on a beanbag, can't understand why anyone would pick a book about tomatoes or ostriches, and he's "altogether offended" by a peer's choice of a title about submarines. When he discovers that he can suddenly wish his classmates' books away, he's maliciously jubilant--until his own vanishes as well. Caldecott Medalist Santat portrays the classroom's emotional world with equal amounts of humor and compassion. Digitally colored ink drawings take Arnold from evil-villain mien to genuine shock when it seems that nothing will restore the books. But after Arnold develops a little bibliophilic empathy--learning, for example, that one classmate reads about tomatoes because it reminds them of a relative--the works reappear, and Arnold finds that his own interests have opened up as well. It's a seamless mix of magic and relatable classroom drama that models curiosity as a means to connection. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 3--7. Author's agents: (for Ho) Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary; (for Kusin Pritchard) Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. Illustrator's agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (July)
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Review by Horn Book Review
Arnold enjoys reading about airplanes and becomes upset that his friends like reading about other topics. He begins plotting to make them see things his way. With that, his friend's book about tomatoes disappears. Eventually, all of the books, including his own, disappear in a similar fashion until he realizes the error of his ways. Detailed ink and digital illustrations add humor. The message against book banning is laudable but can be somewhat heavy handed; the situation itself and some wordplay ("I wish I could can all the tomato books") add levity. (c) Copyright 2025. 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.
