Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A child who can't keep still bursts from their sleepy parents' bedroom, an embodiment of the spread's declaration: "I am movement." "Fueled by food" and "powered by PLAY!/ friendship/ compliments/ love and laughter," the kid moves through a day with a "turbo boost" of joyful energy, slowing for only a brief moment "to recharge" before heading back to fun. Every activity is an opportunity for imaginative play, from time with other children (the group plays in a cardboard engine) to bedtime ("I'm a supersonic dreamer!"). In keeping with the book's theme, the simple narrative moves quickly, largely comprising single words. Joyner's energetic cartoon artwork conveys the spirit of Verde's words, showing the "perpetual motion" of very young children. Parents of tireless youth will find solidarity and humor here, and young readers will close this book feeling invigorated by the possibilities before them. Ages 2--6. (July)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--Starring a boy who leaps out of bed to the words "I am movement, heat, static electricity, fueled by food, powered by play," this book attempts to showcase the ways in which highly energetic children can be celebrated instead of corrected. Instead of seeing the boy's artwork as a mess created by an ill-timed headbutt, it's a unique rebuilt masterpiece. Joyner's exuberant illustrations capture the boy's perpetual motion and zest for life. There is a definite need for books of this ilk, focusing on the wonderful, wacky, and super-charged lives of kinesthetic learners. Frustratingly, Verde's language is a little abstract and adult for her audience. She uses phrases like "environmentally friendly, no batteries required, no coal, no oil, just a little water to keep my engine running," instead of bolder, more onomatopoetic words that would engage kids who see themselves in the main character. The book ends on, "Use what I've got and you could light up the world!' with an image of a child-sized flash mob in the street. VERDICT Parents and teachers of "kids who just can't sit still" like Joyner's own (she provides an author's note at the end explaining her perspective) will likely find humor and camaraderie in the story, but actual energetic children will appreciate books that allow them to be involved in the story, to jump, play, and showcase their unique and awesome abilities.--Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Readers follow a preschool-age child through the day, watching the child take on the world as "movement," "heat," and "powered by PLAY!"The nameless child runs through the day with the kind of energy that only small children can really muster. This Everykid plays, loves, and laughs, affirming not just unstoppability, but an unapologetic love of self. The child and a diverse cast of friends "bounce," "spin," "tumble," and "dig" themselves into oblivion and bedtime. Joyner's vivid colors give the book and text a feeling of energy and highlight the diversity of the characters on the pages. The brown-skinned protagonist's parents are an interracial couple, and the children at school display a wide variety of skin colors, hairstyles, and texturessome girls wear hijabensuring that many children will be able to see some of themselves in the story. The illustrations are appropriately filled with movement, and their busyness really captures what it is like to be a kid. Although the text is sparemore a sequence of phrases than complete sentences that connect to one anotherits profusion of exclamation marks and subtle cadences make it a delightful read-aloud that kids will enjoy and parents will get a chuckle out of as they see themselves in the book as well (bleary-eyed morning phone check while kid bounds through the room, anyone?). Bound to provoke many cries of "Again!" (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
