Hot Hot Hot - Hardcover

Layton, Neal

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 076362148X ISBN 13: 9780763621483

Publisher: Candlewick, 2004

Synopsis

Looking for an escape from the heat? Kids will laugh out loud at the lively illustrations in Neal Layton’s tale of two fun-loving, enterprising mammoths.

For wild and woolly mammoths like Oscar and Arabella, playing in the ice and snow and arctic winds of an Ice Age winter is the coolest fun. But when the snow starts to melt, and thousands of brightly colored plants sprout up and irritate their eyes, and insects are swarming, and it just gets hotter and hotter and hotter, it seems there’s no end to their misery. Then one day, the shaggy pair comes up with a bright idea. It may be a close shave, but it looks like they’ve finally found a way to enjoy the hottest summer ever!

About this title

About the Author

Layton uses pencil, paint, ink, and marker, among other media, to create his illustrations. About Hot Hot Hot, he says, "Oscar and Arabella would have lived in the most recent Ice Age, which ended about 10,000 years ago. There probably weren’t any combs, mirrors, or scissors then. I made that up. Animals would have had to cut their woolly coats with blunt stone axes. (Just kidding)." Neal Layton holds degrees in graphic design and illustration, and lives in England.

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 3–What happens to two woolly mammoths when summer makes an unwelcome appearance during the Ice Age? That's the premise of Layton's extremely silly picture book. Oscar and Arabella, blissfully ice skating (minus the skates) in the freezing cold, sneeze when the weather is warm enough for flowers, frantically scratch at the invading insects, and sweat in the heat of the sun. After they make several amusing attempts to cool themselves off, Oscar holds up a scissors in his trunk and promptly invents the haircut. The grass is littered with mammoth hair as Arabella examines her new look in Oscar's mirror. The trend spreads like ragweed through the animal world; even the human lurking nearby throughout the story discards his animal skin. (And children are likely to be amused by his naked behind.) The illustrations are rough-hewn and absurd; this combination is unfailingly appealing. Layton uses a variety of media to produce bright, primitive landscapes populated with lively, cartoon creatures. An epilogue entitled "Ice Age Facts" presents some simplified information, including this tidbit: "There probably weren't any combs, mirrors, or scissors in the Ice Age. I made that up. Animals would have had to cut their woolly coats with blunt stone axes. (Just kidding)." This paragraph will elicit chortles from some children and confusion from others. It exemplifies the dry humor that infuses Hot Hot Hot.–Susan Weitz, Spencer-Van Etten Schools, Spencer, NY
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Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 076362148X
• ISBN 13: 9780763621483
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Layton Neal
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32