A Wonderful Year

by Nick Bruel, Nick Bruel (Illustrator)

Overview

A quirky, inventive, and completely original picture book about the seasons, from the creator of the bestselling Bad Kitty series

A really cold winter.

A demented fairy.

A hippo named Louise.

A talkative tree.

Find out what other wonderful things a year can bring in these four interrelated stories—one for each season—by Nick Bruel, creator of the bestselling Bad Kitty books.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466889989
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	01/06/2015
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	80 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	2 - 6 Years

About the Author

Nick Bruel is the author and illustrator of the phenomenally successful Bad Kitty series, including the 2012 and 2013 CBC Children's Choice Book Award winners Bad Kitty Meets the Baby and Bad Kitty for President. Nick has also written and illustrated popular picture books, including Who is Melvin Bubble? and Bob and Otto. Nick lives with his wife and daughter in Westchester, New York.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/27/2014
Bad Kitty creator Bruel alternates between goofy humor and gentle reflection in four seasonal episodes starring an unnamed girl in a small town. “Winter Wear” hams it up as family members, pets, and even household objects remind the girl to dress warmly before she goes out. “You’d better wear your gloves,” a purple hippo named Louise calls out. “You’d better wear your hat,” says the refrigerator. “Spring Splendor,” a quieter episode, shows the girl and her dog trying to enlist the cat in their make-believe game with an improvised ballad. “Summer Sidewalks” goes for broke as the girl and Louise the hippo walk along the sidewalk, the girl melts in the heat—literally—and Louise tries reconstituting her in the freezer, her hippo physique adding an extra layer of comedy as she waddles between the freezer and a TV show about a can of beans. In “Fall Foliage,” the girl and a tree ponder the significance of losing all one’s leaves, and the story circles around to the beginning. Bruel offers surefire readaloud laughs as well as space for pondering. Ages 2–6. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Bruel takes readers on a strange trip through the four seasons as experienced by a little girl, her talking cat, and her massive purple hippo Louise.” —BCCB

“Bruel provides an idiosyncratic take on the four seasons, as seen through the eyes of one imaginative little girl and her animal buddies . . . The girl's rich imaginary life and freedom from adult interference, couple with accessible language and chuckle-worthy situations, make this a book to pore over” —The Horn Book

“Take a tour through the seasons with a girl and a delightfully odd cast of characters . . . A curious, fun addition to studies about the seasons.” —Booklist

“Bruel takes readers on a walk through the seasons with a girl and her animal friends . . . This clever, engaging introduction to visual storytelling will hold up through multiple readings.” —School Library Journal

“*A comics-style look at the seasons in four short episodes of buffoonery . . . From silly to quite touching, an array of emotions spans this whole wide, wonderful year.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

“Bruel offers surefire readaloud laughs as well as space for pondering.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED

From the Publisher

11/01/2014
K-Gr 2—Bruel takes readers on a walk through the seasons with a girl and her animal friends. The book is divided into four ten-page vignettes—"Winter Wear," "Spring Splendor," "Summer Sidewalks," and "Fall Foliage"—each of which is made up of comic-style panels and full-page mixed-media artwork. The independent and creative child is at the center of each one and is often accompanied by her faithful dog, her cranky cat, and a purple hippo named Louise. The stylized cartoon illustrations are vividly colored and the panels are easy to follow. This clever, engaging introduction to visual storytelling will hold up through multiple readings.—Sarah Wilsman, Kent Free Library, Kent, OH

School Library Journal

★ 2014-10-01
A comics-style look at the seasons in four short episodes of buffoonery. Bruel examines winter first. A girl is excited to play in the snow. However, everyone reminds her to bundle up. Key characters seen again in later stories all pop in to suggest what to wear (the most obvious of her advisers being her mother and father, but a large purple hippo, a tree, a refrigerator and a can of beans weigh in as well). Alas, when she has finally put on all of the clothing, the weather has changed to spring. She slips out of her snowsuit and waves goodbye as the whole outfit walks away, ready to return next year. Bruel creates a clever concept book using dynamic storytelling and infusing each season with droll humor. Spring proves fertile ground for the girl's exuberant imagination, summer's heat makes her melt away—literally—and fall leads her to discover the perfect use for the very last leaf of a tree. Each tale is interconnected (it all takes a metafictive turn in the end), and the sparsely paneled comics style keeps the story's focus where it belongs—on its endearing, shaggy-haired heroine (and, of course, the can of beans). From silly to quite touching, an array of emotions spans this whole wide, wonderful year. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews