Boy Wonders

April 11, 2011
Runaway punnery and nonstop questions drive this rhyming book, which calls attention to similar-sounding words and figures of speech. Brown's (Hallowilloween) title refers to a pensive boy who asks, "Are you ever perplexed? Completely vexed?" and unleashes his ruminations. The text, illustrated in surreal acrylics that convey an imagination in overdrive, opens in a high-energy yet manageable way: "Do bees get hives?/ Do onions cry?/ Is pepper apt to sneeze?/ Do paper plates/ and two-by-fours/ remember being trees?" As pages turn, absurd tongue-twisters and weird images accumulate, as in a portrait of a frowning blue-violet bird in an icy landscape: "Would a happy toucan/ from the Yucatan/ become cantankerous/ up in Anchorage/ or the Yukon?/ How about in Tucson?" Enjoyment depends on a pleasure in assonance and consonance, and a capacity to deconstruct skewed metaphors ("Do clouds get jealous during storms,/ and steal each other's thunder?"); more than anything, this one seems likely to spur discussions about the idioms, animals, and vocabulary that appear within. Brown keeps the pace fast and furious, and his warped wordplay suggests a caffeinated Jon Agee. Ages 4â8.

July 1, 2012
Gr 1-4-The title of Calef Brown's book (Atheneum, 2011) is a play on words, indicating that a young boy wonders about the world, and that the book is full of questions posed by the boy. Curious questions and interesting puzzles are introduced as the boy shares his thoughts. The book is composed of humorous rhymes, such as: "Are phones annoyed if no one calls? Do ants, when anxious, climb the walls?" The "wonders" are quirky and humorous, so older students are sure to get a kick out of the silly questions and play on words. They might come up with new questions of their own or it might be fun to have them discuss possible responses to the questions. Younger children may have trouble with some of the vocabulary and concepts, but will still enjoy the rhyming text. Greg Steinbruner reads Calef Brown's book (Atheneum, 2011) clearly, but in somewhat of a monotone. Listeners may want to have the book on hand to peruse Brown's illustrations and see some of the unusual words spelled out, like cantankerous and wherewithal. Overall, this fun, rhyming story could be used in poetry or vocabulary lessons.-"Jenny Ventling, Dayton Metro Library, OH"

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