Thursday, April 19, 2012

Book Review: Whatever

Book #20
Book Image:


Bibliographic Citation:
Whatever.
By William Bee. Illus. by author.
2005. 31p. Candlewick, $12.99. (9780763628864)

Age Group:
Preschool-Gr2

Genre:
Fiction

Awards:
Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Award

Topics/Issues:
Fathers and sons, Tiger

ELS promoted:
Print motivation, print awareness, narrative skills,

Format:
Hardcover

Author/Illustrator sites:

Categorization Tags:
E Bee

Annotation:
Billy, unimpressed with everything his father does with him, always responds "whatever," until the world's "hungriest" tiger comes along and gets his attention.

Reactions/Observations:
Bee introduces us to Bill and his dad. Billy takes no interest in anything his father shows him. He answers, "Whatever" to toy soldiers, puppets, tall giraffes, butterflies, curly trumpets, bouncy castles, trains, and flights to outer space. The book makes a surprise ending when Billy meets a tiger. 


The book reminds me a lot of Maurice Sendak's Pierre: A Cautionary Tale.   Pierre meets the same surprising end with slightly different circumstances. The story has an dark edge of humor which appeals to both children and adults. The illustrations have a vintage feel with its choice of colors .  The characters are simple , only outlined in black. The background is blank which allows the reader to focus directly on the characters and what actions are taking place. I think this book would be best for the older end of our target audience age, preschool.   It teaches a lesson to children about caring.

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