Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Young Rita "was so bored, she wasn't even hungry anymore, which was the first thing she usually was, when she was bored," writes Sala (A Lost Cause) in this amusingly imaginative picture book portrait of childhood ennui. Sprawled across a pile of pillows, dark hair fanned like a languid pre-Raphaelite heroine's, pale-skinned Rita envisions that she and all the world's bored people are invited to board a bus that will take them to "a non-boring place just for bored people." After yawning through much of the journey, the passengers inflate, spill out of the vehicle, and float through the air to Bored Island. But instead of being as tedious as its name would imply, the isle transforms the group's malaise into deep creativity: three grannies start a band, and a professor's game of "I spy" results in the discovery of new galaxies. As for Rita, when she's called down to dinner IRL, she's seen in her mind's eye riding an enormous dragon through the sky as all the island inhabitants cheer below. Sala's relaxed, expressive mark-making in earthy, textured watercolor and gouache is spot-on for a story about being at loose ends--one that might just convince readers to hang in there when boredom hits. Who knows where a mundane moment may take them? Characters are portrayed with various skin tones, some fanciful. Ages 4--8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (Jan.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--Boredom can feel unbearable. And yet, riding its wave can be fuel for some of the most fantastic and creative adventures! Rita is so bored that even repeating the word "bored" out loud 100 times can't snap her out of it. Exhausted by her boredom, she retreats to Bored Island, a refuge for all the bored people in the world and a place where boredom can take many different forms, like playing with driftwood, performing in a band, or accidentally discovering new galaxies. Sala perfectly captures the intolerable nature of boredom and how, when left uninterrupted, it can be a portal to infinite possibilities. Her concise writing allows for soft, whimsical, watercolorlike illustrations to fill the page with effect. As Rita's imagination grows, so does Sala's palette, replacing the white space of boredom with rainbow colors and full-bleed spreads of unknown worlds. VERDICT A fantastic depiction of the upside of boredom--readers will easily relate to Rita's desperation while feeling bored and feel inspired by the places that the feeling takes her.--Sarah Pousty
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Boredom has its day in the sun when one girl falls prey to its sway. After alerting the household ("I'm boooored!"), Rita drapes her body over couch arms, pillows, handbags, and the floor. She makes halfhearted efforts to alleviate her situation, like trying to surprise herself in her own mirror and stretching from the bed to the top of her door. Nothing works. "Her brain [feels] like a fuzzy rock." In time, Rita begins to wonder about the other bored people in the world. What if they all got on a bus, then floated to Bored Island? There, they could begin to communicate with whales, dig tunnels in search of treasure, start a band, and even warp space and time. By the time Rita is called down to dinner, she objects. She's busy! Sala truly remembers the all-encompassing crush of tedium that kids experience--and the lengths to which they'll go to make their status known. The sheer physicality of the book is a key to its delight; this is ideal reading for kids who claim to suffer the same malady. Human forms are infinitely flexible, sometimes wiggly or flopped in impossible positions. Rita is light-skinned; the characters in her daydream are racially and geographically diverse. A clever reminder that from great boredom comes great invention.(Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
