03/07/2016
In a mischievous skit of a story, Geisel Award Honoree Fenske (A Pig, a Fox, and a Box) introduces a dyspeptic barnacle for whom the sea grass is always greener—until it isn’t. Affixed to the underside of a dock, Barnacle has an existence that’s low on mobility and big on routine. “Every day is the same,” he groans. “The tide comes in. I am wet and cold. The tide goes out. I am dry and hot.” Fenske gives Barnacle pale limbs that dangle in the water like idle fingers and a range of grimaces and half-lidded glares. After a dopey-looking yellow fish shows up, it triggers a series of jealous imaginings (“I bet he dives with dolphins. I bet he soars with sailfish”) that abruptly ends with the arrival of a hungry eel—it turns out that being bored beats being lunch. From narration that consists entirely of Barnacle’s mopey monologue to a dockside environment defined by creamy blue water, a bit of sand, and a couple planks, Fenske keeps it simple, deploying his closing jokes with confident comic timing. Ages 3–5. Agent: Carrie Hannigan, Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency. (May)
Praise for Barnacle is Bored:
“This playful book addresses the universal problem of feeling bored while everyone else appears to be having a great time…Barnacle's round eyes and expressive eyebrows create endearing and silly expressions. High-contrast speech bubbles contain one sentence per page. VERDICT A light and accessible read.” — School Library Journal
"In a mischievous skit of a story, Geisel Award Honoree Fenske (A Pig, a Fox, and a Box) introduces a dyspeptic barnacle for whom the sea grass is always greener–until it isn't. ...From narration that consists entirely of Barnacle's mopey monologue to a dockside environment defined by creamy blue water, a bit of sand, and a couple planks, Fenske keeps it simple, deploying his closing jokes with confident comic timing." — Publishers Weekly
"What better protagonist could there be to illustrate boredom than a sedentary barnacle? ...This tale where 'the seaweed is always greener' is an entertaining antidote to boredom." — Booklist
"Fenske's open, flat-colored, loose-lined, animated cartoon style and simple dialogue-bubble text in a large, bold font are inviting for new readers." — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Plankton Is Pushy:
"Kids will want [to] revisit this book, enjoying time and time again the surprise ending while also developing an attention to detail and the possibilities of interpretation." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Book
02/01/2016
K-Gr 2—This playful book addresses the universal problem of feeling bored while everyone else appears to be having a great time. Barnacle is attached to the bottom of a dock. Life is an endless, repetitive cycle of tides, waves, sun, and darkness. Barnacle envies the exciting life of a passing fish. "Look at this guy. The little polka-dotted show-off. I bet his days are so FUN." Barnacle alliteratively imagines the fish diving with dolphins, soaring with sailfish, and flipping with flounder. But Barnacle isn't the only one eyeing the little fish. As he cavorts, a smirking eel creeps further into view before swallowing the fish whole. Barnacle comically cringes and then grins at readers and announces, "I am not bored." The final page reveals a cutaway into the eel's stomach, where the yellow fish declares, "I am BORED." Barnacle's round eyes and expressive eyebrows create endearing and silly expressions. High-contrast speech bubbles contain one sentence per page. VERDICT A light and accessible read.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK
2016-02-17
Barnacle longs for a change in routine. A lone, pale barnacle hangs over the blue water, affixed by its hatlike shell to the bottom of a wooden pier. Here it seems to the barnacle that every day is just about the same: "The tide comes IN. // I am WET and COLD. / The tide goes OUT. // I am DRY and HOT." The crustacean watches the world go by, or at least as much of it as is visible from one fixed vantage point. Four appendages wave expressively below an exaggeratedly cartoonish face. Its expression is scowling and grumpy: "I am BORED." When a yellow, polka-dot fish swims by, Barnacle is struck by a thought: "I bet his days are so FUN." Perceptive readers may notice that from this point Barnacle is actually not entirely bored, as the many delights available to this brightly colored fish play out—at least in Barnacle's imagination. Barnacle pictures the sunny, big-eyed fish happily engaged in entertaining, alliterative activities in the pale blue sea: "I bet he DIVES with dolphins. / I bet he SOARS with sailfish." But a reversal in fortune demonstrates that excitement and boredom are all in how a situation is perceived (and also that, as in most of nature, eating or being eaten is the rule). Fenske's open, flat-colored, loose-lined, animated cartoon style and simple dialogue-bubble text in a large, bold font are inviting for new readers. Slight, though silly and amusing. (Picture book. 3-6)
