Review by New York Times Review
Living alone in a "dinky" lighthouse on a tiny island, little Pixie Picklespeare is understandably bored. But her luck changes when Beachy, a gigantic blue whale, washes ashore. They ride waves and swim in caves. Too bad he splits at summer's end ("He had to migrate once a year/ to be with other whales," of course). Staake ("The Red Lemon") serves up easy rhymes and bright digital art like a custard cone with rainbow sprinkles, and a sunny final twist: Next year, Beachy comes back. PINNY IN SUMMER By Joanne Schwartz. Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant. 32pp. Groundwood/House of Anansi. $16.95. (Early chapter book; ages 4 to 7) A late summer day near the ocean, a smiling girl who hums as she looks for "a special kind of rock" to make a wish on: From this lovely opening through four simple chapters, "Pinny in Summer" sets an idyllic mood. Pinny seems wonderfully plucked out of time. Parent-free, she picks blueberries, takes walks, makes a cake, hosts a party and cleverly handles a mischievous seagull's incursions. Malenfant's adorable, windswept watercolors add even more charm to each page. WAITING FOR HIGH TIDE Written and illustrated by Nikki McClure. 48 pp. Abrams. $19.95. (Picture book; ages 5 to 7) It's six hours from low tide to high tide, and the narrator of the latest paper-cut marvel from McClure ("Mama, Is It Summer Yet?") is impatient. Her family is building a raft. She roams the beach collecting cool stuff and checking out barnacles. The raft gets done, but there's more waiting before they can push off. Finally, they float away and jump in the water "again and again and again." Heaven! There's also info on checking the tides in Washington State, and a funny bit about safely using a hatchet. MR. HULOT AT THE BEACH Written and illustrated by David Merveille. 32 pp. NorthSouth. $18.95. (Picture book; ages 4 and up) Evoking the elegant, pratfall-powered world of silent film comedy, this droll wordless book continues the story begun in Merveille's "Hello, Mr. Hulot." This time, the beloved character originated on-screen by Jacques Tati spends a less-than-restful day by the sea, pipe firmly in mouth and dressed to the nines. There's a showdown with a folding chair, a mishap involving a dog, a shoe gone into the water and an ongoing attempt to read a newspaper, all conveyed in smooth, subtle black and white. SEA CHANGE Written and illustrated by Frank Viva. 115 pp. Toon Books. $18.95. (Middle grade; ages 8 to 12) Viva's transporting first novel (after picture books including "Along a Long Road") weaves drawings and playful typography through the story of 12-year-old Eliot Dionisi, bummed at being sent to relatives in Nova Scotia for a no-frills summer of lobster trapping and cod-jigging. The kids are tough, and their parents even rougher: The girl he likes has worrisome bruises. But he reads, makes friends, has a first kiss, explores a lighthouse, and discovers a well of compassion and courage in himself. ONLINE An expanded visual presentation of this week's column at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [July 10, 2016]
Review by Booklist Review
Eliot is horrified about spending the summer in Port Anconi, Nova Scotia, in what seems to be the late 1960s. Not only is he missing out on a great summer with his friends, he is doomed to work on a lobster boat with his gruff great-uncle Earl in the middle of nowhere. At first, it's as bad as he feared: he is living in a musty old house; Earl makes cow tongue for dinner; and he is stuck shoveling rotten fish guts into lobster traps. Luckily, there's a passel of kids his age, including pretty Mary Beth, who include him in all their summer games. Viva, well-known for his graphic design, has written a gentle, contemplative story in his middle-grade debut. The straightforward, no-frills lines nicely reinforce the stark, working-class setting, while the blocky illustrations in warm pink, pale yellow, and dusky dark blue and clever textual effects give it the feel of an imaginative diary. While the main action centers on Eliot's coming-of-age, a few subplots about a predatory strip-mining venture and Mary Beth's abusive father add an understated touch of drama.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Twelve-year-old Eliot Dionisi's mother is sending him away for the summer to stay with relatives in the Nova Scotia fishing village of Point Aconi. "Sounds like the name of a sharp object to me," he grouses. At first, his gloomy expectations are borne out. His Uncle Earl, a laconic lobster fisherman, wakes him before dawn each day, the food is appalling, and town bully Donnie threatens him with a baseball bat. But gradually Eliot's horizons widen. Uncle Earl has an unexpected love for literature; Timmy, a younger boy with a speech impediment, shows him what courage looks like; and the bruises on his friend Mary Beth's arms assume more than casual importance. Although there are some cloying moments ("I think he just needs another chance, sir," Eliot tells his uncle about Donnie), Viva's (Outstanding in the Rain) small-town characterizations ring true. More illustrated novel than graphic novel, the story combines drawings with playful typography, which warps and bends around the images, even forming faces, à la concrete poetry, at times. Moving from picture books into fiction can be a stretch; Viva makes it look easy. Ages 8-12. Agency: Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Twelve-year-old Eliot could not be less excited about being shipped off to Point Aconi, in Nova Scotia, where he will spend the summer helping his great-uncle Earl on a fishing boat. Even though he is quickly embraced by a small group of neighborhood kids, led by the intriguing Mary Beth, life in Point Aconi is worse than he imagined-which is impressive, as a teacher formerly noted his "dark" imagination. Slowly, Eliot adjusts. He works hard, spends hours reading aloud from Earl's extensive library, makes his uncle proud, and kisses Mary Beth. His summer is spent fishing, swimming, and exploring. Despite all the fun, Eliot realizes that life is far more complicated than he thought. He begins to understand the politics behind a strip-mining coal company looking to buy up the properties in Point Aconi. And when Mary Beth confides a secret to Eliot, one she begs him not to reveal, he has to make a hard choice. Though he loves his summer in Point Aconi and hopes to return, he begins to look forward to going back home, where he can just be a kid again. This is more of a highly illustrated novel than a typical graphic novel, and Viva's bold, simple illustrations are whimsical and bring to life the story's unique characters. Viva plays with text, too, sometimes placing it at a slant, piling it in a pyramid, or using it to create pictures. VERDICT The unconventional format of this funny, poignant coming-of-age story will appeal to fans of comics and graphic novels.-Amanda MacGregor, Great River Regional Library, Saint Cloud, MN © Copyright 2016. 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
Twelve-year-old Eliot Dionisis parents send him to his great-uncle Earles in Point Aconi, Nova Scotia, for the summer. He has a series of experiences that, in typical coming-of-age-novel fashion, allow Eliot to grow and change into a self-described whole other person by storys end. As the summer progresses, Eliot befriends the locals (including Timmy, a shy boy who stutters); encounters a bully; becomes aware of town politics (the avaricious Bushwhacker Coal Company wants to buy village land); and struggles with what to do upon learning that his new sweetheart, Mary Beth, is being physically abused by her father. Viva frequently incorporates humor, including a memorable scene in which the protagonist unknowingly urinates on his great-grandmothers gravestone. The remote setting is intimately drawn, with distinct dialect reserved for residents (not all of whom are culturally sensitive: Pas not gonna give a rats arse about your wop friend) and plenty of introspectionespecially aboard Uncle Earls fishing boat, the YNOT. With limited colors (blue, black, cream, and a vivid pink) Vivas expressionistic illustrations, which are integral to the story and appear throughout as spot art and full pages, carry emotional heft. The words often appear as concrete poetry or undulate on the page, with text resembling stars in the sky, fishing lines, and facial expressions. While fans of Vivas picture books (Along a Long Road; A Long Way Away, rev. 5/13) will recognize the artists sleek style, the mix of imagery, text, and design here offers a reading experience that is as fresh as it is moving. elisa gall (c) Copyright 2016. 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
A summer spent in a remote fishing village in Nova Scotia proves to be transformative. Twelve-year-old Italian-Canadian Eliot Dionisi is horrified by his parents' decision to send him to relatives in Point Aconi, Nova Scotia, for the summer. Who can blame a boy from the suburbs for being unenthusiastic about rising at the crack of dawn, filling bait buckets with maggots, and dodging local bullies? It doesn't take him long to discover, however, that Point Aconi has its consolations, especially his friendship with a local girl, Mary Beth. Author/illustrator Viva's picture-book roots (Outstanding in the Rain, 2015, etc.) are evident in his first foray into middle-grade fiction. The plentiful illustrations have a slightly retro palette of marine blue, pale yellow, salmon, and black that suits the story's nostalgic setting. In addition, playful typography weaves the art and story together in unexpected ways. A slanting sentence provides a clothesline for a row of drying fish; uneven lines of light text in varied sizes on a black background convey the twinkling of a starry night. The inventive visuals reward careful attention, but the understated coming-of-age story is awfully slow-moving for preteens. Meanwhile, teens and adults may wish the themes and characters were explored in greater depth and detail. Offer this hybrid to readers with the patience to appreciate its unhurried pace. (Historical/graphic fiction hybrid. 11 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
