Review by New York Times Review
Viva's debut, "Along a Long Road," was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2011, and he brings that same visual audacity and forward momentum to his first early reader. Told in full spreads and comic-book-style panels, the story of a boy in a bat T-shirt and his mouse takes readers aboard a small boat headed to Antarctica. The mouse is initially reluctant, but the boy eventually wins him over with a swim in a wondrous volcanic lagoon. What child wouldn't be on board for that? MOUSETRONAUT Based on a (Partially) True Story. By Mark Kelly. Illustrated by C.F. Payne. 40 pp. A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Here the mouse is headed in the opposite direction. This first children's book by Kelly, a retired astronaut and husband of former Representative Gabrielle Giffords, builds on his experience with real mice aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. Eighteen of them. In this winning story there are she, and as the smallest one, Meteor gets to perform his own special mission. After helping the astronauts out of a potential Apollo 13 calamity, Meteor is declared a hero - sure to please many fellow pipsqueaks back on Earth. THE ODYSSEY By Gillian Cross. Illustrated by Neil Packer. 170 pp. Candlewick Press. $19.99. (Middle grade; ages 8 to 18) Cross, winner of the prestigious Carnegie Medal for children's books, dives right into Odysseus' tale with a brief description of how the "cleverest of all the kings of ancient Greece" was called to war but was desperate to get home by Chapter 2. Cross makes the story lively and accessible, though children who haven't brushed up on their Rick Riordan may need guidance. Packer's drawings, looking alternately like decorated urns, Greek friezes, Byzantine icons and 19th-century caricature, hit an occasional off note. But nobody said the Cyclops was pretty. THE IMPOSSIBLE RESCUE The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure. By Martin W. Sandler. Illustrated. 163 pp. Candlewick Press. $22.99. (Middle grade; ages 10 to 14) Believe it or not, the Arctic was once really, really cold. But that's far from the only hard-to-fathom aspect of this outstanding book. An excellent story to match, if not one-up, Shackleton's misadventures on the opposite pole, Sandler's latest is the gripping, true account of a mission to rescue eight whaling ships off the coast of Alaska in 1897. Containing everything from presidential hubris to treacherous storms, ice packs, herds of reindeer and miserable sled dogs worked in brutal, dead-of-winter conditions - much of it photographed by participants - "The Impossible Rescue" is top-notch history. Smart, well written, meticulously researched and a lot of fun. THE ADVENTURES OF ACHILLES Retold by Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden. Illustrated by Carole Hénaff. 96 pp. Barefoot Books. $23.99. (Middle grade; ages 10 to 18) Another hero in another far-flung epic. This richly detailed and lavishly illustrated edition, by the accomplished British storytellers Lupton and Morden, is well suited to mythology newbies, beginning with a helpful introduction to the gods of Olympus and the origins of the Trojan War. Unlike many accounts, this telling takes its time with Achilles' childhood, including his mother's repeated kidnappings of the young boy, and his five years spent in drag. But there is also plenty of adventure and the inevitable bloodshed on hand. The book includes two CDs narrated by the authors. PAMELA PAUL ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 14, 2012]
Review by Booklist Review
Viva, illustrator of many New Yorker covers as well as the lovely and poetic picture book Along a Long Road (2011), joins the TOON Books stable with this tale of an impatient mouse's visit to the Antarctic. The little fellow is immediately homesick despite a human crewmate's attempts to interest him in penguins, whales, and swimming. Viva has a knack for segueing irresistibly from one page to the next, and his various illustrated lists boots, mittens, a hat, and a scarf when they're dressing; jump, bump, play, and dive while whale watching provide useful words for neophyte readers. His illustrations define characters with a few simple but personality-packed lines and create environments out of swooping, nearly abstract shapes that, though easily recognizable as narrative elements, retain the comfort of a preschooler's geometric-pattern books. Young children will also identify with the protagonist as he pines first for the destination and then for home, never quite satisfied with what's on hand, a problem that Viva's readers will not share.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This charming voyage tale is based on Viva's (Along a Long Road) real-life Antarctic trip, which explains the otherwise unbelievable image of swimming in warm water at the bottom of the world. The distinctive color palette of slate blue-gray, black, cream, and burnt orange provides an otherworldly but extremely attractive vision. The simple story, full of imagination, is punctuated by Mouse's lists of things that can't be done on a boat in choppy waters (including draw!) or what to wear in the cold. Readers' creativity will be spurred by the recurring list structure, allowing them to envision their own additions. Although drawn in minimal style (evoking Viva's career as a cover artist, creating single, eye-catching images), with a flat, cut-paper feel to the art, beautiful vistas are conjured, especially of the small boat under an open starry sky. The penguins-four different types-are standouts. Like many children, Mouse spends much of his time wanting to go home, until he leaves, then he wants to go back. Readers will, too, again and again. Ages 4-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-From the endpapers, Mouse asks the timeless question of many young travelers, "Are we there yet?" Inspired by Viva's experiences traveling to Antarctica aboard a Russian research ship, the oblong picture book offers basic facts about the region (it is cold and penguins live there, for instance), while Mouse tries to figure out when it will finally be time to go home. Viva's illustrations employ only primary colors, white, black, and gray, but in the best way. Every bit of space is used to tell the story, which is perfectly suited for storytimes, reading aloud, or even reader's theater. The text is simple enough for fairly new readers to tackle, and interesting. Picture clues are used to help with some of the vocabulary words. This book begs to be shared again and again. Pair it with one of Mo Willems's "Elephant & Piggie" books (Hyperion) and bring on the giggles. Outstanding.-Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MN (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Are we there yet? This familiar refrain, usually heard from the backseat of a car, is the first text that appears (on the front endpapers) in this easy-to-read picture book, very loosely based on the authors trip to Antarctica. Mouse, with a human friend, reluctantly embarks on a sea voyage to a frigid clime. In the midst of adventure (Look at the big sky!...Look! What is that? Its a whale!), the small creature -- seasick, cold, and wet -- repeatedly asks: Can we go home now? New readers will grab onto that pattern like a life preserver and enjoy the humor in Mouses wild ride. Vivas thoughtful comic-panel design includes quarter-page frames for quick patter and full pages for the man to patiently explain, Not yet, Mouse. The short, funny questions and answers will help new readers build confidence with each page turn. Color and design, rather than detailed pictures, set the scene, with strong shapes and a limited palette, including icy blue, subdued red, and off-white. By the final endpapers, readers will be gratified to discover that Mouse has come full circle: Can we go back there soon? Children will want to go back soon, too. robin l. smith (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Strong graphic illustrations give this quick visit to the Antarctic plenty of appeal, though readers may want to strangle one of the visitors. Loosely based on the author's actual voyage, the tour features both large waves and still waters, glimpses of a killer whale and penguins of various identified sorts, and a dip in waters warmed by a half-sunken volcano. It's all in the company of a querulous mouse whose initial "Are we there yet?" and eight-times-repeated "Can we go home now?" inevitably turns to "Can we go back there soon?" by the end. The mouse queries a human traveler who responds to his diminutive companion's importunate comments with uncommon patience. Using a pale palette and varying the sizes of his sequential panels, Viva (Along a Long Road, one of the New York Times 10 Best Illustrated for 2011) shapes his figures simply with minimal detailing. He effectively creates both visual rhythm and a sense of size for landscapes and spaces with looping white masses of shoreline ice that separate flat monochrome skies from, usually, darker waters. The art gives this southerly outing a distinctive look, and the interplay between the two tourists may strike some readers as comical. (Graphic easy reader. 5-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
