The Beginner's Guide to Running Away from Home - Hardcover

Huget, Jennifer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375867392 ISBN 13: 9780375867392

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade, 2013

Synopsis

What kid hasn't wanted to make their parents feel sorry for treating him badly?
And how better to accomplish this than to run away? Here's a guide showing how, from what to pack (gum--then you won't have to brush your teeth) to how to survive (don't think about your cozy bed). Ultimately, though, readers will see that there really is no place like home. Like Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, here's a spot-on portrait of a kid who's had it.
And like Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, it's also a journey inside a creative kid's imagination: that special place where parents aren't allowed without permission.

About this title

About the Author

JENNIFER LARUE HUGET is the author of three previous picture books for Schwartz & Wade, and will have more to come. She is a blogger for the Washington Post.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 3-In this quirky story, a boy feels unappreciated by his family. Everyone is "going gaga" over his baby sister. His big brother "gets to stay up a whole hour later," and his mother tosses out his entire collection of candy wrappers. In a wry narrative voice, the child offers advice on the delicate art of running away from home. He suggests bringing gum ("That way you don't need to pack a toothbrush") and a favorite stuffed animal ("That will show your parents you mean business"). After leaving a note (taped to his baby sister) and making a dramatic exit, the youngster doesn't go far before he has second thoughts and runs home to the waiting arms of his mother. The outstanding illustrations feature intricate hand-built, three-dimensional sets and charismatic characters fashioned out of polymer clay. Funny details abound in the detailed pages, such as the boy's red wagon piled sky high with comics, snacks, and a box of rocks. This imaginative and subversive flight of fantasy is not to be missed.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canadaα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Many books can tell you all about the greatness of home and the warmth of family. Here, though, is a book that’s straight with kids: sometimes home stinks and family is the worst. Like when your sister gets all the attention, your older brother flaunts the freedoms denied to you, and Mom tosses your prized candy-wrapper collection in the trash. Then you just need to scram, and the book offers wise advice on packing (“Save room for a bow and arrow. In case there are bears”); writing an informative good-bye note (“Not allowed to keep pet squirrel”); and possible destinations (“Head for your grandma’s house. She still likes you, even if you’re not as cute as the baby”). The illustrations, from Red Nose Studio (the working name of artist Chris Sickels), feature the same glossy clay models and nifty sets as in his collaboration with Jonah Winters (Here Comes the Garbage Barge, 2010) and are the kind of pictures you want to stare at for a long time. OK, this is another one of those home-is-great stories. But it makes a better case than most. Grades K-3. --Ian Chipman

Edition details

• Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0375867392
• ISBN 13: 9780375867392
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Red Nose Studio
• Number of pages: 40