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Summary
Summary
THE FIVE OF US is a captivating tale of adventure, friendship and teamwork from one of Britain's best-loved illustrators. Angie, Ollie, Simona, Mario and Eric are five fantastic friends, each of whom has an unusual ability. Disaster strikes on a day out to the countryside but, working together and combining their individual powers, the Fantastic Five save the day. Teeming with Quentin Blake's characteristic sense of fun and his exuberant illustrations, THE FIVE OF US is also a powerful, though subtle, reminder that the world is a better place when we focus on what we can do, rather than on what we can't.
Author Notes
Award-winning illustrator and children's author, Quentin Blake was born in 1932.
His first drawings were published in "Punch" when he was 16. He has illustrated almost 300 titles some in collaboration with famous writers such as Russell Hoban, John Yeoman and Roald Dahl. He is the creator of characters such as Mister Magnolia and Mrs. Armitage.
His works have earned him numerous awards including the Whitbread Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal, the Emil/Kurt Maschler Award, the Bologna Ragazzi Prize, and in 2002 the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration. In 1999, he was selected as the First Children's Laureate.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Once upon a time, not long ago and not far away, there lived five friends. And they were all amazing. Angie could see things five miles away. Ollie could hear them. Simona and Mario could lift anything. Eric was "just as amazing," but readers have to wait until the end of the story to find out how. One day, these five otherwise perfectly ordinary friends decide to go on an outing in a large yellow bus driven by Big Eddie. After a lovely lunch beside a remote country road, Big Eddie is taken ill and the friends must find a way to get help quick. Simone and Mario carry him a long way until finally Angie and Ollie see and hear people they hope can help. Alas, a river gorge separates them by miles. This is Eric's opening. Up to this point mostly mute, Eric lets out a gargantuan "HELP!" that results in a speedy helicopter rescue. In his inimitable style, Blake has once again crafted an allegorical tale sure to be understood by even the youngest of readers. With a refreshing simplicity of design and not a smidgen of superfluous text, this book grants readers the freedom to focus on the enchanting illustrations. VERDICT A fine addition.-Lynn Van Auken, Oak Bluffs School, Oak Bluffs, MA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
With his customarily exuberant ink-and-watercolor illustrations, acclaimed author-artist Blake introduces a diverse quintet of "amazing" children with distinct supernatural abilities. Angie, with brown skin and a curly ponytail, "could see a sparrow sitting on top of a statue five miles away." Her friend Ollie wears glasses, but his sense of hearing is equally powerful, and Mario (who uses a wheelchair) and Simona "could lift anything you could think of." Rounding out the group is quiet Eric, who says little besides "erm," but is just as amazing, Blake assures readers. During a bus trip to the countryside, their older companion/driver falls ill; Eric comes through when he's needed most, letting loose a booming "HELP!" that results in a cliff-top helicopter rescue. It isn't entirely clear whether Blake intends to show Eric as developmentally disabled, a stutterer, or simply a bit of an introvert. All are reasonable interpretations, but the message about talents coming in all shapes and sizes (and from all sorts of people) is loud and clear, regardless-just like Eric himself when the situation calls for it. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.