The Signmaker's Assistant

A young signmaker's apprentice dreams of having his own sign shop but creates havoc when he is left in charge by himself

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Arnold brings the mischieveous quality of the sorcerer's apprentice to small-town America. Norman works as the old signmaker's assistant--cleaning brushes, mixing colors, and painting simple signs--while he dreams of having a shop of his own. As he watches people obey all the signs, he wonders what would happen if he painted some of his own. With the master away, Norman gets creative with such signs as ``Eat your hat,'' ``No school today,'' ``Buy Norman a present.'' The boy enjoys the confusion and laughs until the angry townspeople tear down all of his work, resulting in crashing cars, lost firemen, and his boss being run out of town. A contrite Norman paints all night long to restore order and clean up the mess. Arnold paints humorous pictures of the clever lad and the chaos he causes. This is well suited for reading aloud, with clear watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations and easy flowing text boxed on a white background alternating with full-page paintings. The silly signs and situations will appeal to children's sense of fun, and they will enjoy discovering the consequences of Norman's imaginative brush work. --Mary Rinato Berman, New York Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When young Norman, assistant to the town's respected signmaker, paints a few unorthodox signs of his own, he generates hilarious havoc in this larky picture book. For this lad's handiwork--unlike his mentor's, which conveys such sensible information as where to eat and when to stop--mischievously proclaims "No school today," "Stop, ants crossing" and "Buy Norman a present." And the townsfolk, accustomed to obeying signs dutifully, follow instructions. The author/illustrator of No Jumping on the Bed! and Ollie Forgot here presents an escapade certain to tickle funnybones: What child could resist the sight of grown-ups blithely obeying a "Knock Heads" sign, or cars following a detour marker through a house , of all places? In Arnold's exuberant artwork--perhaps his finest to date--William Joyce meets Richard Egielski with scintillating results. Both the frenetic commotion and the urban calm before and after the storm are expressively depicted in luminous, crisply outlined colors. The signmaker's work itself is smartly designed; indeed, style and verve mark the entire enterprise. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Arnold's large-headed, stubby-limbed figures move solidly through a droll cautionary tale. Norman the apprentice has noticed that people always obey signs; when his boss takes a brief trip, Norman busily paints and distributes his own: ``No School Today''; ``Eat Your Hat''; ``Go Back Three Spaces''; ``Knock Heads.'' In a series of textless spreads, people follow these directions regardless of the silly results. Finally, every sign in town is angrily torn down--creating even worse confusion. Seeing the error of his ways, Norman scrambles about repairing the damage, earning forgiveness from the signmaker and the embarrassed townsfolk. O the perils of blind obedience! (Picture book. 6+) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.