![]() ![]() The illustrations, done in pastel pencil and digital color, again make masterful use of white space and page turns, although this tale is not nearly as funny or tongue-in-cheek as Oliver and His Alligator (2013), nor is its message as clear and immediately accessible to children. A final wordless spread depicts all the children sitting on rocks, expressions gleeful, wondering, waiting, hopeful. “But when Oliver found his rock… // Oliver imagined many adventures // with all his friends!” This last is on a double gatefold that opens to show the children enjoying the creature’s slippery curves. Even considering Schmid’s scribbly style, readers can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he ponders the girl and whether or not to give up his solitary play. A classmate’s yell brings him back to reality, where readers see him sitting on top of a rock. Their adventures include sharing treats, sailing the seas and going into outer space. “When Oliver found his egg…” on the playground, mint-green backgrounds signifying Oliver’s flight into fancy slowly grow larger until they take up entire spreads Oliver’s creature, white and dinosaurlike with orange polka dots, grows larger with them. Oliver, of first-day-of-school alligator fame, is back, imagining adventures and still struggling to find balance between introversion and extroversion. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “ perfectly Norman.”Ī heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. ![]() While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. ![]() The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. Percival ( The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Norman, a “ perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. All the superheroes and even the villains are just as supercute as baby Groot.Ī title comics aficionados will snap up in order to groom the next generation of fandom-even if they don’t have a next generation yet.Ī boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too. Peopled with the stars of the Marvel universe, each brightly colored double-page spread of bad-guy bopping has at least one cameo or visual joke. You’ve had a wonderful day.” Deneen’s narrative has a consciously genre-appropriate anodyne text, but Rocket’s asides in speech bubbles and Groot’s “I am Groot”s will elicit more giggles and cheers than sleep-not to mention the energetic sound effects. Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, and the Guardians of the Galaxy team join the fight, and the night is won! “The day is now done and super friends say… / Night night, Groot. More bad guys get kicked and beaten when Thor and Black Panther help out. In action-filled spreads, they attack bad guys with the help of Red Hulk and She Hulk. They run past Captain America and the other Avengers to their spaceship and blast off while the bedtime story continues. Think of all the things you’ve done.” Rocket grabs Groot’s hand and tells him the Earth is in danger. Gamora reads a bedtime story to baby Groot in his flowerpot: “Night night, Groot, it’s time for bed. It’s time for bed, Baby Groot-but Rocket Raccoon thinks otherwise! ![]()
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