Sweep

June 17, 2019
Greig (The Night Box) writes about Ed, a boy who lets his bad mood get the better of him. Sardà (Duckworth, the Difficult Child) shows Ed standing with a broom, in an unhappy mood that “swept over him in a raging storm and stuck.” A breeze toys with his leaf pile, blowing one leaf into his face and causing him to trip over his broom. He can’t control his anger, and he takes to sweeping “until, suddenly the whole thing became bigger than him.” In sleek, stylish art, Sardà creates a hilarious sequence of hyperbolic spreads as Ed’s ire drives him to roll through the town: the leaf pile engulfs a scooter and a bicycle, then several cars and a city tram. Gigantic heaps dwarf the buildings, which are captured with loving architectural detail; city transit comes to a standstill; children romp through the piles. Ed is running out of steam (“Ed was beginning to wish it had all blown over”), but he can’t quite give up the pleasure of his bad mood—“not when he had gone to all this trouble.” At last, he reflects on the chaos he’s caused (“For a moment Ed felt rather silly”), and a small miracle improves his outlook. He’ll choose more wisely next time, Grieg suggests. The lesson about managing one’s emotions edifies, while Sardà’s illustrations lift the spirits. Ages 4–8.

June 15, 2019
As a boy sweeps leaves, a mood sweeps him away. It might be the single leaf wafting straight into his face that puts Ed into a bad mood. Or it might be tripping over his broom, or the wind trying to blow his leaf pile away. This bad mood "swept over him in a raging storm and stuck," and off goes Ed, taking his broom to everything in sight. Sardà's digital art begins elegantly, playing with gravity (stepping, Ed is seen to be slightly aloft), swirling lines showing movement and breeze--then it leaps into a world of diagonals and scale changes. As Ed's leaf pile expands to engulf bikes, cars, and a whole city bus, the illustration represents three street scenes diagonally tipped and juxtaposed: Everything's sliding out of control. Ed's leaf pile envelops trees, a four-story building, and eventually the city. A tiny bicyclist speeds down its very steep slope; a skier shusses down it. When the background blackens, is it natural nighttime or the darkness of Ed's mood? It even has its own point of view: "Is this really worth it? he asked himself. Yes, his bad mood decided." No matter: "A new wind whip[s] up" to change everything. Offsetting drama with understatement and humor, Greig and Sardà thus carry readers through a mood and out the other side. Ed and most of the townspeople present white. An artful, elegant metaphor for mood. (Picture book. 3-7)

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Starred review from September 1, 2019

K-Gr 2-In this creative and enchanting picture book, Greig (The Night Box) does an exemplary job of helping children understand bad moods and their ability to control them. On the first page, readers meet Ed, a young boy in a foul mood who is armed with a broom and is facing down a pile of leaves. He begins to sweep and as his grumpiness increases, his sweeping takes on a maniacal life of its own. Ed sweeps up pedestrians, dogs, buses, and bicycles as his pile of leaves grows exponentially. The poor boy can't stop himself even though, "Ed knew perfectly well when he had gone far enough." The bad mood is so all-consuming and infectious that one spread shows the entire town in darkness littered with huge piles of leaves. Fortunately, a new wind begins to blow and slowly, then suddenly, everything looks different and brighter. This delightful tale ends with Ed and his friends flying kites in the wind and talking about how he might think twice before he lets himself be swept away again. VERDICT Bravo! This winning story with Sarda's intricate and glorious digital illustrations is guaranteed to delight and spark conversation. A definite purchase for all collections.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI

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