The Sad Little Fact - Hardcover

Winter, Jonah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525581790 ISBN 13: 9780525581796

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade, 2019

Synopsis

A New York Times bestselling author and the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of The Good Egg deliver a perfectly timed, funny read-aloud about the importance of telling the truth.

There once was a fact who could not lie.

But no one believed him.

When the Authorities lock the sad little fact away, along with other facts, the world goes dark. But facts are stubborn things. With the help of a few skillful fact finders, they make a daring escape and bring truth back to brighten the world. Because after all, "a fact is a fact" and that's that!

Truth be told, this spare, ingenious story reads like a modern-day parable. Bestselling author, Jonah Winter, and the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of The Good Egg, Pete Oswald, pair together to remind us of the importance of honesty and truth during a time of lies and fake news.

About this title

About the Author

Jonah Winter has written more than thirty highly acclaimed books for children, including Elvis Is King, just published; The Secret Project, which received five starred reviews; Mickey Mantle: The Commerce Comet; Lillian's Right to Vote, which received four starred reviews; and You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?!, called "inspired" by the New York Times Book Review. Learn more at jonahwinter.com.

Pete Oswald is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of The Good Egg, as well as The Bad Seed, which was an Amazon Best Children's Book of the Year in 2017 and an indie favorite. He has worked as a character designer, a concept artist, and an art director on many popular films including Madagascar 2, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Angry Birds. He has several picture books in the works, including The Good Egg, a sequel to The Bad Seed. .

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3—The story begins "There was once a fact." That fact is a cute, fuzzy, blue ball with big eyes. As something with proven veracity, it seems as though there shouldn't be anything remarkable about the fact. It should be accepted as truth. Instead, the fact is confronted with disbelief and apathy. These are tough enough to stand up to, but then comes those with deliberately insidious intentions. The Authorities, long-limbed and red-gloved, are faceless entities that seek to bury the fact and replace it with more convenient untruths. Hope lies with the "fact finders," well-intentioned beings armed with hardhats and spades, working to dig out the fact and its brethren. The world is dark when truth is buried, and only by bringing the facts back into the world is brightness restored. The book feels like an obvious response to issues in today's political and media climate but unfortunately oversimplifies a complex and nuanced topic, without examining the societal and personal circumstances that contribute to individual beliefs. The illustrations are colorful and provide a clear visual contrast between those determined to crush the facts, those determined to bring the facts to light, and the sad little fact itself, emphasizing the threats that exist in this allegorical world. However, just like with the text, adult readers may see real-life and potentially alienating parallels in the illustrations. The ability to evaluate and parse information is an undeniably crucial skill, but on its own this book may be too abstract and far-reaching for picture book audiences. Incorporating critical thinking exercises related to evaluating credibility and accuracy (and even defining those terms), conversations about misinformation online, and extensive follow-up discussions to expand the topic may help provide a more grounded contextual understanding for young readers. VERDICT Timely and thought-provoking, this book may be challenging for young readers unless partnered with support and critical discussion with adults.—Alyssa Annico, Youngstown State University, OH

Edition details

• Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0525581790
• ISBN 13: 9780525581796
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Oswald Pete