Kate and Nate Are Running Late!

September 3, 2012
Overeager preschooler Nate, his eight-year-old sister, and their harried mother Kate are under the gun when it comes to getting out of the house in the a.m. Multitasking Kate, whose dot eyes speak volumes about her steely determination to stay on track, “yells, ‘Time to use the potty!’/ when she’s halfway down the stairs./ She starts the coffee, feeds the cats,/ toasts some waffles, slices pears.” As the ripped-from-reality scenes fly by in first-time picture book author Egan’s rhymes, the trio overcomes every potential catastrophe (escaped cats, swiped socks, slippery ice), only to arrive at school... on a Saturday. This family, on the move in the most literal sense, should garner knowing laughs from kids and grownups alike; it’s unlikely readers haven’t experienced at least one of the morning travails depicted. Yaccarino’s (Boy and Bot) sleek retro styling and flat colors are particularly well-suited to a story whose characters have an almost aerodynamic quality; Kate and the family pets in particular look like all they need are jet wings to go airborne. Ages 4–7. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

September 1, 2012
A single, working mom and her two children oversleep and rush through their morning routine only to discover the shocking truth when they get to school: It is Saturday. Egan's rhyming narrative is cumbersome at times: " 'It's getting late, ' announces Nate. / Kate rolls over, rubs her eyes. / She sits up straight. 'Oh that's just great. / Not again!' Nate's mother sighs." The harried parent leaps across the double-page spread, dog at her heels, son attached to one hand (he's airborne from the speed). While mom is efficient and her children cooperative, each contributes to the delay. Once outside, Nate's need for his forgotten bunny leads to his slipping on ice, falling into mud and having a meltdown, for instance. Yaccarino's signature gouache caricatures, rendered in flat colors and aerodynamic shapes, are oddly mismatched with the text at this point, and whereas the story has heretofore been a play-by-play description, the stuffed animal is confusingly inserted here without any retrieval scene. The mud puddle, too, is a strange contrivance in relation to the previous page's snow-covered landscape. (Through the kitchen window, the view is green--go figure.) The conclusion is more discomfiting than amusing, given that mom has become "too tense to talk" as she "squeal[s] down streets" in the car. A muddled effort. Kate and Nate can run, run, run, but they do not have much fun. (Picture book. 3-6)

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October 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 2-This rhyming story humorously details the dreaded weekday-morning routine and its attendant chaos. Nate is the younger of two siblings who live in the suburbs with their mother, Kate. Nate enters her bedroom and flings himself on the bed, alarm clock in hand. They are late! While the retro-style gouache illustrations are vibrant and energetic due to the sophisticated use of complementary colors, large areas of flat hues, and layouts that convey a sense of animation, the writing doesn't entirely deliver. Lines with internal rhyme and alliteration like "They're almost ready, feeling steady, /wearing coats and big backpacks" produce a singsong effect that's too syncopated for the story line. Other lines are simply a mouthful, which could indicate the chock-full schedule, but are not much fun to chew. Nevertheless, there is a lot going for this race-out-the-door plot with its series of obstacles and mini-victories. The illustrated subtext of the dog's and the two cats' morning routine is a hoot. One cat hiding under the sheet as Nate makes his bed, another slyly making off with Nate's sister Maddie's missing socks, the dog successfully begging for Nate's waffle, and many other clever pet antics will win the hearts of young readers. There is also a surprise twist at the end, which asks adults to reflect on the wisdom of our bustling, overburdened schedules.-Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2012
Preschool-G Kids with working parents will nod along to this one. Nate's single mother, Kate, is perennially late. After being awakened by Nate, Mom panics and goes racing about the house in order to get the kids off to school. Chaos reigns: Kate yells, Time to use the potty!' / when she's halfway down the stairs. / She starts the coffee, feeds the cats, / toasts some waffles, slices pears. House robe aflutter, she throws together food and corrals her offspring until the trio is suited up and outside. There the bedlam continues: pets escape, toys are left behind, and Nate slips on the ice. Egan establishes a frantic pace on page one and never lets up, creating that morning whirlwind of activity and emotion that seems stressful while it's happening but just a part of life minutes after it's over. Yaccarino's flat, patterned gouache illustrations give the characters hilarious poker faces and, when appropriate, wide-open shocked mouthsboth of which are necessary on a weekday. Waitwhat's that final twist? You mean to tell me it's Saturday?(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)