Picture Book Month: Barnacle is Bored by Jonathan Fenske

Barnacle is Bored by Jonathan Fenske. unpgd. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., May, 2016. 9780545865043. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Sometimes picture books can be sly. You think you have its number. You might even go into the book with a bit of an attitude, a kind of blasé,"Whatever, impress me." Then that book might just suck you in, turn on the charm and disarm you. Just as soon as you settle in, whoosh, out comes the chair you are sitting on or the rug you might be standing on. Tables are turned. Humor turns dark. 

The first time that happened to me was in 2005. I came upon a book called Tadpole's Promise. Luckily, I pre-read the book. (I have been known to occasionally read aloud cold.) Warily, I decided to read the book aloud to my youngest students. With class after class, there was this beat of something after the "punchline," perhaps it was surprise, perhaps dismay, perhaps confusion, followed by a variety of laughter from hearty to not-so-sure. I decided to read it all the way up to my eighth graders, who were mostly delighted with a side of shock. They didn't think a picture book could do that!

My next encounter with dark humor came with Jon Klassen's brilliant, I Want My Hat Back in 2011. Truth be told, I didn't totally appreciate it the first run through but soon became a fan. I Want My Hat Back won a Geisel Honor, a NYT Best Book Award and was an ALA Notable Book. He followed with This is Not My Hat in 2012, and nabbed a Caldecott Medal for his efforts. 2016 brings this picture book trilogy to a close with We Found a Hat. 

Back to our bored barnacle. Is he bored or having an existential crisis? Both maybe? Barnacle appears as a single, fleshy, tentacled blob hanging upside down under a dock. The pale blue water is calm and the dock is empty. Indeed, barnacle is quite alone as the tide comes in and makes him cold and wet; then the tide goes out and he's hot and dry. A simple change in eye-shape is oh-so expressive as insult is added to injury in the forms of rolling waves and errant seaweed. But wait, there's a new googly eye in the water along with a flash of yellow. A sunny yellow fish swims into view and barnacle is sure that guy is living the good life. He imagines all kinds of fun, diving, soaring, flipping and flopping until something dreadful happens.

Again, when I read this aloud to my fifth and sixth graders, there was that pause, that slight confusion as that sunny yellow fish disappears into the belly of an eel and barnacle decides he's not so bored after all. The rear end-pages reveal a twist in the story so don't skip them.

Kids today seem to be so easily bored. This playful book gently coaxes them to reflect. The cartoon style and colors are pleasing. The speech bubbles contain a single sentence and the large, bold, simple font is perfect for new readers. Barnacle is Bored is a fun read aloud and a great way to celebrate Picture Book Month!

FNG Review: Are We There Yet? by Dan Santat

Are We There Yet? by Dan Santat. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, April 12, 2016. 9780316199995. (Review from FNG courtesy of publisher.)

Ah, the car trip with kids, a universal parental rite of passage. We bend over backwards to make our children comfortable, entertained and most of all, quiet. Dan Santat follows his Caldecott-winning The Adventures of Beekle (Little, Brown, 2015) with this rollicking road trip to Grandma's birthday party and sets picture book reading (literally) on its head. 

There is so much to look at here that one reading is just not enough and your youngsters will not let you stop at just one reading! Every bit of this book is used to tell the story - from the clever end-pages featuring a sunrise at the beginning to a sunset at the end to the invitation to Grandma's party on the verso. 

The oversize format features large graphic novel-like panels and each panel is a work of art containing all sorts of details, such as the monotonous lines of telephone poles being reflected in the window that the boy is sullenly gazing out of. There are humorous little details as well, such as books, stuffed animals, including a stuffed Beekle, a handheld video game - all abandoned on the floor of the back seat.

As the trip goes on "forever," and the family journeys back through time, the reader has to read backward. Talk about denying muscle memory! Each double-page spread of the stops backward in time is hilarious. My favorite has to be the family's encounter with a T-Rex - even the boy's stuffed T-Rex is scared. But then, it's love at first sight. Even though the idea of playing fetch with a T-Rex has been done before, this game is the best ever because we all know that time flies when we're having fun. What's a little over-correction among friends?

Simple adages such as time flies, or the road is full of twists and turns or, sit back and enjoy the ride and there's no greater gift than the present gently convey lessons we'd like our kids to learn. Folks young and old will recognize themselves in this lovely, endearing homage to the car trip. 

Are We There Yet? is a must-purchase! This is definitely a "never too old for picture books" read aloud. I'm buying it for my personal library as well as my school's. Bravo Dan! Is it too early to wonder about a second Caldecott nod?