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Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607003016337 | Picture Books | MCDONNE | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
In this interactive and engaging read-aloud, bestselling author and award-winning artist Patrick McDonnell creates a funny, engaging, and almost perfect story about embracing life's messes.
Little Louie's story keeps getting messed up, and he's not happy about it! What's the point of telling his tale if he can't tell it perfectly? But when he stops and takes a deep breath, he realizes that everything is actually just fine, and his story is a good one--imperfections and all.
Author Notes
Patrick McDonnell is the creator of The Monsters' Monster, a New York Times bestseller; Me...Jane, a Caldecott Honor Book and a New York Times bestselling picture book biography of Dr. Jane Goodall; and the award-winning picture book Art . He is also the creator of the beloved, internationally syndicated comic strip Mutts , which features the characters that star in five of his previous picture books including Wag!, The Gift of Nothing, Just Like Heaven, Hug Time and South. Patrick sits on the board of directors of the Humane Society of the United States and has won numerous awards for both Mutts and his animal welfare work. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Karen; their formerly feral cat, Not Ootie; and their adopted terrier, Amelie.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Beloved Mutts comic-strip illustrator McDonnell brings children a story about how even the most perfect things can sometimes become...well, messed up. Louie sets out to tell his happy tale about skipping and singing when suddenly a jelly blob interrupts his cheerful narrative. This is soon followed by a peanut butter ("AUGH! The chunky kind!") mess. Louie is horrified that someone would treat his story so carelessly. As the mess builds, Louie becomes more and more anxious, until a really big mess causes him to give up. "I'm just a messy old book...no one will ever want, read, or love," he cries. He soon learns a wise lesson; it is the story that makes the book, not the mess. Life is not without imperfections, and neither are stories. Classic McDonnell pen, ink, and watercolor pastels blend with mixed-media and crayon messes to make this untidy tale a victory for unkempt books everywhere. Keep calm, and read on!- Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Starred Review. Louie, one of McDonnell's adorable button-nosed creatures, is in the middle of his own story, singing happily when he notices some jelly on the pages. It's not just a drawing-the photographic blob looks very real, as if readers had spilled jelly on their own book. Then a splotch of peanut butter lands on Louie's head. "My story is getting all messed up!" he cries. A flurry of fingerprints, a splash of orange juice, and crayon scribbles soon follow. "This is the worst thing ever!" Louie wails, arms flailing wildly. The official-looking narration that starts and restarts as the book progresses ("This is Louie's story") turns out to be a kind of coach, an objective voice that urges Louie to take the long view. "I'm still here," he concludes. "You're still reading. And it is a pretty good story, messes and all." Louie's exaggerated reactions to the growing mess will trigger laughs with every page turn. Yet McDonnell (The Monster's Monster) excels at reminding his characters-and readers-that it's possible to keep it together even when life has jelly all over it. Ages 3-6. Agent: Henry Dunow, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.