Review by Booklist Review
Out for a walk, Giovanni tries to observe his mama's counsel not to become distracted; though when he pauses once to check that he is "all here," a man kindly points out he has already lost a hand. He ponders his empty sleeve with a philosophical eye, but his focus on fascinating details along his walk leads him to lose next an arm, a foot, then ears, and a nose while he goes cheerfully on. Helpful townsfolk returning Giovanni's missing pieces assure his bemused mama with "that's just the way children are." The reassuring resolution reveals a restored Giovanni--all parts back in place and safe in his mama's arms. Award-winning author-illustrator Alemagna brings her brilliant, wildly inventive collage, colored pencil, and pastels to illuminate another charmingly quirky tale by beloved master storyteller Rodari. These improbable events--when a child casually sheds body parts during a meditative meander, and indulgent adults chalk it up to childish whimsy--offer a delightful flight of fancy, where even the odd and inexplicable are met with equanimity and good cheer.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a fanciful picture book about a child with his head in the clouds, Italian author and Andersen Medalist Rodari (1920--1980) focuses on easily diverted Giovanni, a well-intentioned boy who goes out for a walk. "Have fun, Giovanni," his mother notes, "don't get distracted along the way." Giovanni means to follow her instructions, and checks for the first block or so to make sure he hasn't lost anything ("Am I all here? Yes, I am!"), but soon afterward he begins to stare "at shop windows, cars, the clouds," until a passerby accosts him: "Oh, little one, you need to pay attention. Look! You've already lost a hand." As Giovanni continues missing body parts, and neighbors return them to his mother, surreal collages from Alemagna (Telling Stories Wrong) render the pale-skinned figures as doll-like, so that the detachment of limbs and features registers as comic rather than traumatic. When Giovanni's mother bemoans her child's inattention, each neighbor comforts her ("That's just the way children are") until, when the child returns, "cheerful as a sparrow," he is restored to his original state. Giovanni's distraction doesn't hurt anyone--not even Giovanni--in this conflict-free, daydreamy tale that centers a child letting go of care. Ages 4--7. (Oct.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A reimagined Italian classic gets the surreal update it deserves. When Giovanni tells his mama that he's going out for a walk, she warns him in no uncertain terms: "Don't get distracted along the way." For the first block or so, he follows her dictates, but soon enough the boy's attention wanders. It wanders so much, in fact, that he starts accidentally dropping body parts along the way. There goes a hand! Then a whole arm! Then a foot! Kindly passersby return each part to Giovanni's mother, who's at her wits' end with the boy, even as her neighbors assure her, "Well, it's no mystery. That's just the way children are." By the time he hops home, she just puts him back together, and when he asks if he was a good boy, she assures him that yes, he most certainly was. Any parent with similarly distractible offspring of their own will deeply sympathize with this mother. Interestingly, even as things grow increasingly fantastic, the storytelling reinforces Mama's unflagging love for Giovanni. Alemagna's mixed-media art provides the perfect counterpart to this tale of waylaid appendages, perfectly conveying both the familiar ridiculousness of the storyline and the deep-seated connection between a boy and his mama. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Heart, humor, and more than a spoonful of weirdness help this mother/son tale ring oddly true. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
