Little Boy [Hardcover]

Alison McGhee (Author), Peter H. Reynolds (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

The simple playthings, the everyday moments, picking up that hundredth rock -- all of these are brimming with possibility...if you slow down and let the future begin with the small moments of today. Because everything depends on letting a little boy...be a little boy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Watching his tousled-haired son navigate a typical day, a father wistfully reflects on boyhood's pleasures—especially the endless possibilities presented by a big cardboard box. McGhee (previously paired with Reynolds for Someday) uses William Carlos Williams's The Red Wheelbarrow as a jumping-off point for the hand-lettered text: Little boy, so much depends on…/ your starship pajamas,/ that story about llamas,/ the way you don't worry,/ the way you won't hurry,/ and… your big cardboard box. Keeping props to a minimum in his watercolor-and-ink vignettes, Reynolds portrays the young hero at full kid throttle. Confident, independent and inexhaustible, the boy turns the cardboard box into a pirate ship, a stepladder, a spaceman's costume and a crash pad. In short, he's the very definition of Everyboy—if the computer or TV set had never been invented. Those absences suggest that the book's appeal is a nostalgic one—and that the most appreciative audience may be former boys like Dad himself. All ages. (Apr.)
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From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—The duo that created Someday (S & S, 2006), a picture book celebrating a mother's affection and hopes for her daughter, now presents the reflections of a father about his young son. Once again, there is ample white space around the charming pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations. The artwork bursts with energy as the boy engages in all sorts of activities, such as playing with a truck, romping with the dog, and browsing through books. The straightforward text, written from the dad's perspective, recounts the simple things that are important to his child: "Little boy, so much depends on…a puddle to jump,/sand to dump,/truck down the hall,/pencil lines that mark how tall." A repeated refrain shows the youngster finding numerous fun uses for his "big cardboard box." This title may also resonate most with adults, though it has more child appeal than Someday.—Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141695872X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416958727
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A touching treasure, April 26, 2008

By 

Julie Neal (Sanibel Island, Fla.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Little Boy (Hardcover)

A gentle reminder to let children have unstructured time to play, this storybook is about a dad reflecting on his son the way the authors' Someday is about a mom and her daughter. Both can bring tears to your eyes.

Using short rhymes and expressive illustrations, the story follows one small boy through his day. He wakes up to the sounds of a big yellow dog and Dad singing in the shower. He spends his day climbing trees, splashing in puddles, dumping sand, rolling trucks, being measured to see how tall he is, baking cookies with Dad, kicking balls, pretending to be a pirate, saying goodbye to visiting grandparents and reading to his dog.

Like all little kids, the boy plays with his same, favorite toys throughout the day. A yellow robot splashes in a puddle, gets buried in a sandbox and measured for its height, and walks into a cardboard box town. The boy plays with the cardboard box all day too, finally falling asleep in it at night, curled up with his dog.

The point of the book is surprisingly deep: that who the boy will become as a man depends on all the seemingly insignificant, everyday activities he does as a child. "Little boy, you remind me how, so much depends on days made of now."

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A bit awkward.., May 9, 2008

By 

S. Bolanos "Love the written word" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Little Boy (Hardcover)

I have to admit when I first read this book, I found it hard to follow and awkward. I do appreciate repetition in literary styles but I did not like the flow of this book. I loved their first book "Someday" I thought it was beautifully written and the plain prose was still poignant. However I felt like this book was written to ride on the coat tails of their last success. I tried reading it to my daughter and the choppy wording turned her off right away. I have found that when purchasing books to read aloud to toddlers the language and flow of the prose is very important. Although the concept is sweet I wouldn't recommend it for reading aloud, which is important to me when choosing children's books. I highly recommend the poem its based on as an alternative.

The poem by William Carlos Williams
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only book, November 19, 2010

By 

stonewhite - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Boy (Hardcover)

This book I will admit through me off guard when I first read it, I thought of it as sweet but that's it. Our son who is now 3 picks this book to read almost every night. We always ask what book he always replies little boy. He points at all the pictures. This book gets sweeter and sweeter the more you read it and related it to your growing boy. A GREAT add to anyone's home library.