Ice Boy

Title:

Ice Boy

Author:

Summary:

Tired of helping others cool their drinks, Ice Boy proceeds to sneak out of the freezer and heads to the beach, where his edges begin to blur. Eventually he melts and becomes Water Boy and then he evaporates and turns into Vapor Boy. Then a big storm freezes him back into Ice Boy and sends him home--before a new adventure begins.

Audience:

Preschool.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 25 cm

Genre:

Action and adventure fiction.

Picture books.

Subject Term:

Ice -- Juvenile fiction.

Beaches -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Candlewick Press,

Electronic Access:

Image

Publication Date:

2017

ISBN:

9780763682033

9781406376913

Publication Information:

Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2017.

Call Number:

P STEIN

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003299784	Picture Books	STEIN	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

An ice cube in search of adventure stars in a comical (and very cool) tale of transformation from Caldecott Honoree David Ezra Stein.

Ice Boy has a normal life. He likes goofing around with his siblings ("Don't lick your brother!"). He listens when his parents tell him that being chosen to cool someone's drink or be a cold compress is the best thing that can happen to an ice cube. But Ice Boy wants more. So even though his parents tell him never to go outside, and even though his doctor tells him never to go in the sun, Ice Boy decides to head for the beach, where he rolls right into the water ("Best day ever!"). But suddenly his edges begin to blur. . . . From the creator of the best-selling Interrupting Chicken comes an offbeat and funny story of daring to venture into the unknown, whatever form it may take.

Author Notes

David Ezra Stein is the creator of many award-winning picture books, including Interrupting Chicken, which was awarded a Caldecott Honor, Because Amelia Smiled, Dinosaur Kisses, and I'm My Own Dog. He lives with his family in Kew Gardens, New York.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-Ice Boy lives in the freezer with his ice cube community and family. With plenty of dark humor, the story's narrator sets up the main conflict: "Once in a while, someone was taken. Usually for a person's drink. To be chosen was the best thing that could happen to an ice cube. At least that's what Ice Boy's parents said." Ice Boy refuses to surrender passively to this unknown fate and instead decides to make his own way. He ignores all warnings, leaves the freezer, and travels to a sunny beach. From here Ice Boy embarks on a wild and dramatic journey through the water cycle. High-energy linework throughout the pale, icy colors of the spot art and full-page spreads create a fast pace and plenty of exaggerated humor that works well with the comical text. Speech bubbles in the art bring more personality to the characters and help to distinguish Ice Boy within the stages of the cycle as he shifts to Water Boy ("Aaah! Tastes salty!") and Vapor Boy ("Look what I did!") until a storm turns him into a piece of hail and he is Ice Boy again. Coming full circle, Ice Boy falls from the sky right into a drink, where his parents are bobbing about. The drink is tossed out on the ground, and while the ice family wonder what adventures await, budding scientists will likely have some ideas. VERDICT Funny and entertaining, this book starring an independent ice cube is a truly enjoyable tour through the water cycle that offers insights into the dynamics of life in the freezer.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Stein's intrepid ice cube hero wants more from life than a tenuous existence in a freezer and a destiny of being "chosen"-his fatalist family's euphemism for becoming part of someone's drink or cold compress. Ignoring everything Ice Boy has been told ("Never go outside. Never ever go outside"), he makes his way to the ocean and discovers that rather than dissolving into nonexistence, a wide world of adventures awaits: first as "Water Boy," then as "Vapor Boy," and then again as a pellet of summer hail. His return to a solid state brings about a reunion with his parents, who are stoically chilling a patio drink; using his newfound knowledge and confidence, Ice Boy rallies them to join him on a new water cycle adventure. Stein (Tad and Dad) renders his funny mixed-media paintings in bright blues and stormy grays, and peppers them with quippy dialogue balloons ("Am I dense, or did I just become a liquid again?"), proving that science can be empowering on many levels and that "you do you" can contain multitudes. Ages 3-7. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.