Homework - Hardcover

Yorinks, Arthur

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802795854 ISBN 13: 9780802795854

Publisher: Walker Childrens, 2009

Synopsis

Just in time for the back-to-school season, this imaginative story captures every kid's wildest dream-homework that does itself!

When Tony falls asleep without finishing his homework, his unruly school tools come to life to get the job done. Pencil and Pen get the story started, along with Eraser, but when Fountain Pen joins in, all ink breaks loose! A little creativity goes a long way, as Tony's homework turns into a wacky tale about the Planet Splotch. Tony might not be able to hand in this particular assignment, but it deserves an A+ for originality.

About this title

About the Author

Arthur Yorinks has collaborated with Richard Egielski on nine picture books, including Louis the Fish and the Caldecott Medal winning Hey, Al as well as joining with Maurice Sendak and Matthew Reinhart to produce the 2006 bestseller Mommy. He is also the founder and director of Night Kitchen Radio Theater and has written and directed for opera, theater, dance, and film. Arthur lives in New York City.

Richard Egielski won the Caldecott Medal for his illustrations in Hey, Al and has written and illustrated many other books for children including Buz and Jazper, both New York Times Best Illustrated Books, Three Magic Balls, and The Gingerbread Boy. Richard lives in Milford, New Jersey, with his wife and son.

Reviews

Grade 1-3–As usual, Tony is not doing his homework. Instead, he dozes off while reading a comic book. While he sleeps, the pencil, pens, etc., on his desk come to life and decide to write a story for him. There is much banter and arguing as each one is critical of the other's contributions, but gradually everyone's efforts are melded into a final product. Their exuberance awakens Tony, who discovers the story, but seeing only splotches and messy corrections, tosses it away–only to sit down and compose one with an identical theme. The plotline is amusing as the characters interact, but it's Egielski's retro-style illustrations that steal the show. Using brightly hued watercolors and pen, the artist brings the items on Tony's desktop to life one by one. He then reverses the process as Tony awakens and the items go back to their inanimate state. The pictures are rich in detail and energy, and children will return to the story many times to enjoy them.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
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It’s a typical night for Tony: his mom demands he do his homework, but instead he just reads comic books in bed until he konks out. Only this night, that empty piece of notebook paper is too inviting, and Tony’s pencil and eraser come alive to write a story for him. Being by their very nature opposites, the two anthropomorphous objects immediately butt heads. “Stinkeroo!” cries the eraser at the pencil’s opening line. Their fight wakes up the entire desk—cup, book, tape dispenser, ruler, and so on—but it is the fountain pen whose out-of-control splotches provide the vision. Soon pencil is scribbling away at “The Story of Planet Splotch.” Yorinks has devised a pleasing homage to the creative process and uses a light touch to show how inspiration can derive from the unlikeliest of places. Egielski’s art has an intriguing lack of depth; the details are piled atop one another like a jumble that needs decoding. A simple but amusing winner. Grades K-2. --Daniel Kraus

Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Childrens
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802795854
• ISBN 13: 9780802795854
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Egielski Richard
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32