Tiny Tot Tuesday!

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1–Fucile makes a hilarious debut with this picture book. After playing all kinds of games, reading comic books, and baking enough cookies to feed a small country, two boys agree to do nothing for 10 seconds. When Sal, the older child, tells Frankie that they are going to sit in chairs and pretend to be statues in the park, the younger boy’s imagination runs wild and ruins the moment. He envisions a flock of pigeons clustering about his stony self and shoos them away. This only frustrates Sal, who tries again and again to think of ways for the two of them to remain absolutely still. Frankie is unable to get this right, always imagining something that causes him to move, from a small dog relieving himself on the boy’s giant redwood self or King Kong climbing his Empire State Building self and stealing his eyeglasses. In the end, when Frankie can no longer hold his breath or keep from blinking, Sal gives up. Relieved, Frankie has a suggestion. The story is told mainly through the zany artwork. Clear, cartoonlike illustrations alternate between generous spreads and vignettes set on white backgrounds. Done in ink, colored pencil, and acrylic, the pictures capture the universality of the moment through the boys’ animated body language, Sal’s imperious glances, and Frankie’s increasing exasperation.–Adrienne Wilson, Edith Wheeler Memorial Library, Monroe, CT
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