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October 16, 2006
LaMarche (The Rainbabies
) gives his hero just one, strictly limited magical power. Daniel discovers that he can raise things off the ground by looking at them, but "never back and forth. Just up. And that, not much." The youngest son of a fisherman whose livelihood requires strength, he resents his nickname, "Mouse," and chafes at being left home while his brother helps on the boat. But once Daniel realizes he has lifted an oyster cracker with his will alone, he spends hours perfecting his new skill. The story unfolds in a series of cinematically paced scenes. LeMarche shows Daniel close-up as he practices on progressively heavier objects, then provides readers with a big smile—a spread of Daniel's dad asleep in the living room, a newspaper across his lap, looking just like any other napping dad, except for the fact that he's hovering inches above the sofa. When a whale is beached near their home, the boy's gift frees the whale and wins Daniel a place on his father's boat. LaMarche's power to draft and tint his compositions appears almost casual; there's nothing, it seems, he can't draw. He depicts all the people and objects in the book, whether on the ground or suspended in mid-air, with the same enthusiastic objectivity. This matter-of-fact quality contributes to the story's magic. Ages 3-8.

October 1, 2006
PreS-Gr 3-Once again, LaMarche laces workaday reality with a little bit of magic. Daniel longs to join his father and older brother on the family fishing boat, but every day they leave him behind to help his mother instead. Between Michaels taunts and the whole familys condescending use of the pet name Mouse, Daniel finds himself in an especially defiant mood during lunch one afternoon. Someday Ill be so strong, he mutters, and, fueled by the sheer force of his will, an oyster cracker hops from the surface of the table in agreement. Delighted and surprised, the boy quietly cultivates his strange new talent, and soon he graduates from bathtub toys and fishbowls to much bigger, heavier objects. Levitation is a neat trick, but Daniel figures its not really that usefuluntil the day a whale beaches itself on the shore and he gives it the boost it needs to ease back out to sea. The soft acrylics capture the low light, palpable chill, and blue-gray color scheme of Daniels fishing village. This is an inspiring and (yes) uplifting title about pursuing ones own talents and possibilities."Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2006
LaMarche, the illustrator of Laura Krauss Melmed's " Rainbabies" (1992) and other books, creates his own magical tale in this beautifully illustrated picture book. Daniel wishes he was bigger and stronger, not just a little boy left behind when his father and his older brother set out in their fishing boat. After discovering that he can lift objects upward just by concentrating, he secretly practices his new skill, gradually lifting larger and heavier things. Still, his secret power seems rather useless until the fishermen discover a beached whale, and Daniel makes it possible to save it. Children will warm to Daniel and appreciate his feelings of inadequacy, his approach to his magical power, and his final acceptance as a fisherman. Drawn in softly shaded colored pencils warmed with watercolor washes, the scenes seem to glow with their own magic. As a small boy who accomplishes a great thing, Daniel lives the dream of many young children.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)