Richard Egielski is the Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator of Hey, Al and many other books for children, including the Tub People series by Pam Conrad. He is also the author and illustrator of Buz and Jazper, both New York Times Best Illustrated Books, Three Magic Balls, and The Gingerbread Boy. Mr. Egielski lives in Milford, New Jersey, with his wife and son.
Kindergarten-Grade 2?One morning, a boy eats a bug along with his cornflakes. As the brief narrative unfolds, viewers glimpse the creature's journey through the boy's body, the doctor's confirmation of the presence of a "bug," and the cops-and-robbers-like chase by the bumbling pills. Egielski makes effective use of double-page close-ups, interior and exterior perspectives, and page layout to build suspense and heighten dramatic impact. The pictures work well from a distance, so groups will enjoy them. The palette changes from fleshy pinks to shadowy blues as Buz moves away from the source of light. An abundance of white highlights on the pills and Buz creates the same shiny look used by the illustrator in Pam Conrad's The Tub People (HarperCollins, 1989), giving the characters a toylike quality. The little creature escapes, but not without catching?a germ. Guess what the doctor prescribes? This is probably not a title one will read again and again, but it is clever enough the first time through. Use it with Chris Van Allsburg's Two Bad Ants (Houghton, 1988) to portray unusual adventures from out-of-the-ordinary perspectives.?Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
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