Somewhere Else
by Gus Gordon
Date: 2017
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library
George has absolutely no interest in exploring the world. None at all.
He's far too busy enjoying his home life and baking delicious pastries. Or so he tells all his friends when they invite him along on their wonderful adventures.
But when George's friend Pascal digs a little deeper, the real reason George refuses to travel away from home is finally revealed...
(synopsis from Goodreads)
This is a cute story about a bird (a duck?) named George Laurent who likes to bake, so much so that he's always too busy to fly anywhere like all the other birds. The story was simple, but sweet, and I liked the secondary character, Pascal Lombard. He's a bear, so he doesn't fly anywhere, but he still yearns to travel.
The artwork is really neat in this one. It's a combination of illustration and collage, with much of the material seeming to have come from old catalogues.
The writing is okay... until about 3/4 of the way through, and then the author--for some reason--thought it would be a good idea to have a character "smile" their dialogue. Not only is this incorrect (and impossible, as a smile is silent), but it's also one of my biggest pet peeves. I hate seeing this sort of thing in children's books especially; the last thing we need is yet another generation thinking this error is acceptable.
Overall, though, this was a cute story with unique artwork, and I quite enjoyed it.
Quotable moment:
As the seasons passed by, everyone stopped asking
George if he wanted to go somewhere else with them.
He was far too busy, it seemed.
Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Overall: 4 out of 5
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