Review by Booklist Review
Fritz is terribly excited to be turning five, and he can't wait for all the wonderful new things that are bound to happen. But as his big day wears on, he realizes that five is an awful lot like four. He still can't tie his shoes, snap his fingers, or whistle, despite his increased age. Just as he's beginning to get a little glum, a little girl asks if he can reach some low-hanging apples, and Fritz discovers than he can, thanks in part to his new birthday shoes. He also discovers that he can share, and he and his new friend sit together and happily munch their apples. The book ends on an up note, with Fritz looking forward to additional developments, including maybe a loose tooth. The lively, cartoonlike watercolor-and-ink illustrations help move the action along and enhance the overall happy, optimistic mood. This would be a good sidekick for Valorie Fisher's Everything I Need to Know before I'm Five (2011).--McBroom, Kathleen Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
On the eve of his birthday, Fritz "is quite sure that five will feel very different." But slowly he realizes that one day, no matter how special everyone says it is, doesn't make a difference in terms of being able to tie his shoelaces or "whistle, snap his fingers... or do the monkey bars two at a time." Fritz has a very grown-up epiphany: turning a year older isn't like flipping a switch-you have to grow into growing up, bit by bit. Murguia (Zoe's Jungle) has Fritz shake off his epistemological mood and show his five-year-old mettle by picking some apples for a girl in a finale that doesn't quite live up to the promise of the preceding pages. But this otherwise beautifully told story should prompt intriguing conversations on how events like birthdays infuse meaning into the flow of days that makes up our lives-even when any actual day-to-day change is barely evident. Fritz and his Marmaduke-size dog make excellent companions on this philosophical journey, leavening big questions with kid-scaled humor. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Looking forward to his fifth birthday, Fritz leaps out of bed in his supercape. However, much to his dismay as the day wears on, he doesn't feel as differently as he had hoped. He still can't tie his shoes or snap his fingers. The satisfying conclusion shows that it often takes just one friend to cheer up a child after a day that didn't seem to live up to expectations. Lively artwork rendered in pen and ink and watercolor enhances the simple lines used for facial features. Murguia employs excellent pacing by using a varied perspective, such as the anticipation created during the pause in the narrative with a view of two pairs of shoes meeting on the playground-one pair of reddish-orange sneakers and another pair of red flowery pumps. Although this simple story can get lost in a plethora of other supplemental friendship tales, the illustrations set it apart.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (c) Copyright 2012. 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 Kirkus Book Review
Fritz expects to feel totally different when he turns 5, but it turns out that 5 feels a lot like 4.He still cant tie his shoes, snap, whistle or master the monkey bars. And not even one of his teeth wiggles. Self-assured pen, ink and watercolor illustrations produce vivid renderings of a young boys bounce, his tousled hair, bony ankles, fluttering superhero cape, inflated birthday expectation and subsequent deflation. Fritzs day plays out in soft watercolor scenes that make fine use of page turns, page composition and supremely crisp white space. Double-page spreads evoke tender feelings: an ecstatic leap from bed on his birthday morning (gold beams surrounding his lithe, lean body) and, especially,his sad sit-down beneath an apple tree (a foggy gray wash muting the entireplayground). A new friendship (with a girl!) makes Fritz feel a little more 5, as well as a little blushed and bashful. Every child knows how it feels to squirm gleefully in the throes of a big buildup and also how it feels to stifle tears after a big letdown, making Fritzs story universally appealing.Empathetic and sweet, this simply told, well-illustrated book helps not only with birthday bummers, but with negotiating many of lifes highs and lows. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
