ISBN 0440400481 - Dell Young Yearling books are, generally, a series I enjoy. The books tend to use age appropriate language for 5 to 8 year olds and include simple lessons for children. This book, however, doesn't do it for me.
Jim isn't able to do a lot of things. He can't hang by his knees on the jungle gym without using his hands, he can't start a club without everyone quitting, he can't dance... and he's not on the top 3 list of the most popular kids in school. While he struggles with his mediocrity, a new girl named Elinor Woodman, from Chicago, Illinois, seems to shrug things off with ease. Every time she's confronted with Jim's concerns about his inferiority, she says "so what?" By the time Jim finally learns this lesson for himself, Elinor has moved back to Chicago, but she's left behind something of great value to Jim.
I know that there's a good lesson here. I just don't think the book does a good job of explaining that lesson. Author Miriam Cohen's story feels very disjointed. Jim observes various things that his classmates do and say and then decides to start a club - that feels very random. And little kids are random, sometimes, but their books shouldn't be. When the class is measured, Cohen lists each child and their height, down to the quarter inch. If this was one of the books that centered on math, it would make sense; here it just makes awkward reading. "Paul was 3 feet 11 inches. Willy was 3 feet 10 inches. Sammy was 3 feet 9 3/4 inches. Danny was..." Seriously. Last, the periodic "so what?" is clearly supposed to be the lesson: don't let it get to you. Instead, it makes Elinor appear to be saying "who cares?" when Jim feels down.
The illustrations, by Lillian Hoban, are nice. They're not spectacular, but the book is for an age group that is moving away from picture books. The images suit the story. However. I'm not an easily freaked out parent, but I did a double take on this one. On pages 3-4, there is an image of the playground. Two girls are jumping rope, one in pink and one in blue. They are both wearing leggings under their skirts, which are frilly and short. Short. The skirt of the girl in pink is so short that her butt is visible. And, since her leggings are pink, she appears to be nude under her skirt. This is not the case, but it is clearly a bad color choice on Hoban's part and something that appears in a couple drawings. I thought some parents might appreciate knowing in advance.
Other books in the series, from the same author, include ISBN 0440493331 When Will I Read? and ISBN 0440411211 Bee My Valentine (Picture Yearling Book).
- AnnaLovesBooks
Jim isn't able to do a lot of things. He can't hang by his knees on the jungle gym without using his hands, he can't start a club without everyone quitting, he can't dance... and he's not on the top 3 list of the most popular kids in school. While he struggles with his mediocrity, a new girl named Elinor Woodman, from Chicago, Illinois, seems to shrug things off with ease. Every time she's confronted with Jim's concerns about his inferiority, she says "so what?" By the time Jim finally learns this lesson for himself, Elinor has moved back to Chicago, but she's left behind something of great value to Jim.
I know that there's a good lesson here. I just don't think the book does a good job of explaining that lesson. Author Miriam Cohen's story feels very disjointed. Jim observes various things that his classmates do and say and then decides to start a club - that feels very random. And little kids are random, sometimes, but their books shouldn't be. When the class is measured, Cohen lists each child and their height, down to the quarter inch. If this was one of the books that centered on math, it would make sense; here it just makes awkward reading. "Paul was 3 feet 11 inches. Willy was 3 feet 10 inches. Sammy was 3 feet 9 3/4 inches. Danny was..." Seriously. Last, the periodic "so what?" is clearly supposed to be the lesson: don't let it get to you. Instead, it makes Elinor appear to be saying "who cares?" when Jim feels down.
The illustrations, by Lillian Hoban, are nice. They're not spectacular, but the book is for an age group that is moving away from picture books. The images suit the story. However. I'm not an easily freaked out parent, but I did a double take on this one. On pages 3-4, there is an image of the playground. Two girls are jumping rope, one in pink and one in blue. They are both wearing leggings under their skirts, which are frilly and short. Short. The skirt of the girl in pink is so short that her butt is visible. And, since her leggings are pink, she appears to be nude under her skirt. This is not the case, but it is clearly a bad color choice on Hoban's part and something that appears in a couple drawings. I thought some parents might appreciate knowing in advance.
Other books in the series, from the same author, include ISBN 0440493331 When Will I Read? and ISBN 0440411211 Bee My Valentine (Picture Yearling Book).
- AnnaLovesBooks
