One Cool Friend

Starred review from October 31, 2011
Elliot’s father wears a dorky plaid suit and works as some sort of naturalist. He’s also pretty absentminded, so when Elliot—a quiet, rosy-cheeked boy who prefers tuxedos—brings home a Magellanic penguin, he doesn’t notice. Small’s (Elsie’s Bird) ink-and-watercolor drawings are as urbane as Elliot’s bow tie, and he creates a magnificent mansion for Elliot and his father. Elliot fixes up a bedroom ice rink with the air conditioner and hose, puts Magellan to bed in the freezer, and takes him swimming in the bathtub. Buzzeo (the Adventure Annie books) gives Elliot courtly manners (“Thank you for inviting me” is his response to his father’s suggestion they visit the aquarium) and a quick wit. The book’s humor is built on gentle misunderstandings between father and son (when Elliot asks for a penguin, his father assumes he means a stuffed one from the aquarium gift shop). Though very much a boy-and-his-pet story, it’s just as much about two gentlemen who appear to be orbiting entirely different planets. The revelation that they’re not so dissimilar after all is about as sweet as it gets. Ages 5–8.

December 1, 2011
Boy and Antarctic bird bond in a tongue-in-cheek tale keyed by artful misdirection. Drawn to an aquarium's penguin exhibit because the birds resemble his own tuxedo-wearing self, young Elliot secures permission from his (seemingly) distracted single dad to get a penguin. Rather than hit the gift shop, though, he pops a live one he dubs "Magellan" into his backpack. Using a hose, a backyard wading pool and an overpowered air conditioner, he sets up a rink in his bedroom. He stashes his diminutive new buddy amid frozen seafood in the fridge overnight, then leaves him splashing around in a tub of extra-cold water the next day. Crisis looms when Elliot's still strangely oblivious father heads for the bathroom--but, as observers sharp enough to have picked up some subtle visual clues will understand, Magellan isn't the only exotic animal in the house, and the old man has good reason to be more surprised than shocked to find himself sharing the tub with an interloper. In line with Buzzeo's elegantly spare text, Small uses neutral washes with loosely drawn lines and highlights of restrained color to depict the urbane lad and his equally dapper companion making themselves comfortably at home in upper-crust digs. A happy tale of domestic amity, with a well-set-up punchline. (Picture book. 6-8)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from February 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 3-Sporting a tuxedo and a sly smile, Elliot is the type of dapper young hero who can't abide masses of noisy kids, but when his clueless father suggests Family Fun Day at the aquarium, he politely agrees to go. Avoiding the crowds, he discovers penguins that, "in their tidy black feather tuxedos and their proper posture," remind Elliot of himself. When he asks "May I please have a penguin?," his father absentmindedly agrees, assuming his son wants a plush toy from the gift shop. And then the fun begins. Small is in top form here with a flawless design that begins with the crisply patterned Antarctic blue and white endpapers. With a flowing line, a liberal amount of white space, and a limited color palette, the overall impression is one of elegant restraint. At the same time, there is a sense of movement conveyed through an inventive typeface, a varied layout, and dramatic perspectives. The artist plays off the wry text to capture the comic chaos of hiding a penguin at home. Viewers will chuckle at the bird's antics. Aptly named Magellan, he becomes Elliot's accomplice-don't miss him chilling out on several bags of ice while popping goldfish crackers. Toward the climax, viewers begin to get a hint of the father's passion when he appears in pajamas covered with turtles. The surprise ending has the same satisfying sensibility as Jules Feiffer's Bark, George (HarperCollins, 1999). A real kid charmer that will elicit "Read it again!" responses.-Caroline Ward, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2012
Grades K-3 Polite, bow-tie-and-suit-wearing Elliot is none too excited when his father suggests attending Family Fun Day at the aquarium. But once he is there, he is drawn to the Magellanic penguins, whose tidy black feather tuxedos with their proper posture remind Elliot of himself. So he decides to sneak one home in his backpack, under his father's seemingly oblivious eye. Once home, Elliot and his new penguin pal dine on frozen anchovy pizzas, share Goldfish crackers, and skate on a mini ice rink in his room (created with a wading pool and hose)all the while his father is blithely engaged with his atlas, maps, and charts and appears not to notice the goings-on. Small's black-and-white line illustrations with pops of soft color are an artful blend of elegance, wit, and whimsy. They echo and complement the text and depict expressive characters, including the playful penguin. This charming picture book has many humorous details throughout, and kids will likely laugh out loud at the surprise endingparticularly for the father!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)