The Artsy Smartsy Club [Hardcover]

Daniel Pinkwater (Author), Jill Pinkwater (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

They were on their own -- three kids and one giant chicken. Stuck in Hoboken for the summer, Nick Itch, Loretta Fischetti, and Bruno Ugg are really, really bored. After whiling away their time spitting in the Hudson River and trying to teach Henrietta, Nick's 266-pound chicken, how to juggle marshmallows, they're ready for something -- anything -- to happen. When a mysterious and brilliant chalk artist starts decorating Hoboken's streets, the three friends are blown away. They set off to explore the art world in a frenzy of adventurous drawing, screeving, and eggplant picnics.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–When Nick, Loretta Fischetti, Bruno Ugg, and Henrietta–Nick's 6-foot-tall, 266-pound chicken–go looking for excitement, they trip over some fascinating and mysterious sidewalk art. Thus begins the makings for adventure ending the kids' boring stretch of summer vacation in Hoboken, NJ. When decorated pavement reproductions of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" turn up, then give way to chalk portraits of Henrietta, the four companions go in search of the sidewalk screever, Lucy Casserole, who awakens their wellspring of collective talents. Then, it's off to New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art with Henrietta, disguised as a nun, as the responsible adult. This clever book has just the right ingredients to make it a hit with kids: fanciful fiction plunked into the middle of madcap reality. The cheeky wordplay lends itself to read-alouds, and the black-and-white drawings contribute even more pizzazz to the action. The book offers a natural springboard into discussions on Van Gogh, art appreciation, and the idiosyncrasies that afflict brilliance. Some of the tongue-in-cheek political jabs will fly over the heads of young readers, but silly appearances by Meehan the Bum; local Dee Jay, Vic Trola; intellectual Hilangully Ryder; and other oddball charcters will have students laughing out loud and begging for more.–Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. The normally festive town of Hoboken, New Jersey, is between festivals, so Ivan Itch and his friends (including the giant chicken Henrietta) are starting to get bored. Then they stumble across some beautiful chalk drawings done on the sidewalk, and they begin a quest to discover the mystery artist. Their search leads them to Lucy Casserole, a legendary sidewalk artist. Lucy gives the children art lessons and suggests they visit the Frick Museum (which they do, chaperoned by Henrietta, dressed as a nun). The kids' efforts result in a new Hoboken festival dedicated to sidewalk art. Pinkwater has a message to deliver here on the joys of both making and appreciating art, but his conglomeration of eccentric characters and goofy plot twists keep the story from becoming overly didactic. Jill Pinkwater is on hand with some comical pen-and-ink illustrations. In fact, the overall package could have used more of her inspired pictures. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006053558X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060535582
• ASIN: 0060535571
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,494,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daniel Pinkwater lives with his wife, the illustrator and novelist Jill Pinkwater, and several dogs and cats in a very old farmhouse in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will appeal to artists and chickenistas, March 18, 2006

By 

Ellen Etc. (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Artsy Smartsy Club (Hardcover)

Ol' D. Manus has written two sequels to "The Hoboken Chicken Emergency," both nearly 30 years after. In this second sequel, a later generation has inherited Henrietta, the 6-foot tall chicken, and now she pals around with Nick Itch and his friends Loretta Fischetti and Bruno Ugg in Hoboken.

This coming of art story begins with the work of a mysterious screever -- a sidewalk chalk artist. It leads the brave trio on forbidden and fascinating journeys to Manhattan, where Henrietta escorts them to a museum dressed as a nun and they meet, among other completely believable characters, legendary art dealer Davis Davisdavis; actually, Nick's father, with his affected British vocabulary, is one of my favorite minor characters, of which there are plenty in this fast-paced and get-off-your-duff-and-do-it motivational novel.

Lest you think this is a novel that will find its place primarily in the Pinkwater chicken oeuvre, you should know that this is a book for aspiring artists, which is to say, everyone, not just those fascinated with extremely large and friendly fowl.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beats Watching Raw Liver Slide Down a Wall, August 22, 2006

By 

Leonard Neeble - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Artsy Smartsy Club (Hardcover)

Don't read this book if you:
1) Like to spend time shouting into fans.
2) Like to throw toilet paper into fans.
3) Enjoy doing the first two with the fan turned on.
4) Fly an American flag in front of your house all the time.
5) Rather watch bowling on TV while eating raw liver.

Do read this book if you:
1) Enjoy speaking with an affected British accent.
2) Like two hundred pound chickens.
3) Grew up learning about art in basements, garages, and museums
4) Don't have a problem with professional underemployment.
5) Have a Ph.D. in physics.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great way to expand your cultural horizons', November 21, 2011

By 

Lynda Yoder (Davenport, IA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Artsy Smartsy Club (Hardcover)

I started reading Daniel Pinkwater's books after hearing him on NPR many years ago. At that time I had only a 13yr old son and I loved reading books that we both could relate to. Since then we have read every Pinkwater book we could lay our hands on and with the arrival of two more children, the books have been read over and over. Watching each child relate differently to the characters is a joy to watch.
I truly believe the Daniel Pinkwater's books are responsible for inspiring my kids to love reading passionately. Now my children are 29, 14, and 9 both boys and a girl, I still am reading and rereading theses books. The Artsy Smartsy Club is the favorite of all the books so far and is the one the kids recommend to any one interested in starting their own relationship with Daniel Pinkwater's writing.