Froodle

by Antoinette Portis, Antoinette Portis (Illustrator)

Overview

In a normal neighborhood, on a typical day, the birds chirp, the dogs bark and the cats meow. When Little Brown Bird decides she doesn't want to sing the same old song, out comes a new tune that shakes up the neighborhood and changes things forever in this funny, innovative book that kids will love to read outloud.

A Neal Porter Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466869516
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	05/06/2014
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	42 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Antoinette Portis is the author of many inventive books, including Not a Box, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and a Geisel Honor Book. She is the recipient of a Sendak Fellowship. Froodle is her first book for Roaring Brook Press. Ms. Portis lives in southern California.

Editorial Reviews

Portis has a clever ear: She finds many little puns to keep the story light and witty…Using pencil, charcoal and ink, with digitally applied color, Portis…gives her illustrations a layered look, with contrasting expanses of flat color and more nuanced dappled and shaded areas describing trees, grass and shrubbery…The animals, with the simple look of silk-screened figures, are heavily outlined in black, and appear superimposed on their backgrounds. These playful juxtapositions bring visual energy to the story, which is, after all, about delighting in difference.

The New York Times - Sarah Harrison Smith

A goofily garrulous story session.” —BCCB

“The big, bold speech balloons filled with irrestistible nonsense words make this a great choice for shared read-alouds.” —Booklist

“With its suburban setting and palette of pale blues and eau de nil, there's a subtle retro feel to this celebration of playful remarks.” —Wall Street Journal

“Portis's fun story is filled with humor and silly rhyming words that both children and adults will appreciate.” —School Library Journal

“The creator of A Penguin Story (2009) returns with another imaginative solution to monotony and predictability in the natural world... "The neighborhood was never the same," the narrator reports, and neither will be the charmed listeners and readers of this cheerful inivation to invention.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

“Portis, whose Not a Box proposed alternative uses for a cardboard cube and whose A Penguin Story imagined how Antarctic birds regard non-wintry colors, delights in 'What if?' questions.” —Publishers Weekly

“Be preapared for "Oobly snooby!" and "Cloggen Zoggen Itsyboggen!" after the book is finished” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

05/01/2014
PreS-K—All of the birds say, "caw," "coo," "chip," or "peep," except Little Brown Bird, who wants to try something different. She finds it more enjoyable to say things like, "Froodle sproodle" and "Tiffle biffle,/just a little/miffle!" Crow is annoyed, especially when the other birds join in, but who could resist participating in fun like this? Portis's fun story is filled with humor and silly rhyming words that both children and adults will appreciate. The detailed illustrations, done in a glowing palette of pencil, charcoal, and ink, are featured on multiple spreads throughout the book. Although the narrative text is small and gets lost in a sea of grass or bushes at times, the birds' speech balloons are bold and provide a great opportunity for children to practice sounding out words (even if they are made up). The cadence of the birds' dialogue might take a few read-throughs to get used to, but that will only provide more laughs in the meantime. This book will work in many settings and is certain to prompt giggles from young audiences.—Megan Egbert, Meridian Library District, ID

School Library Journal

★ 2014-03-12
When Little Brown Bird decides to sing something silly, most birds in the neighborhood follow her lead, but crows can't be silly, can they? The creator of A Penguin Story (2009) returns with another imaginative solution to monotony and predictability in the natural world. "All year long," the narration begins, "…the birds in the neighborhood went...." The words "caw," "coo," "chip" and "peep" repeat in speech bubbles, varied only in the order of their appearance. Then, one day, Little Brown Bird tries something new. "Froodle sproodle!" extends across a lengthy spread, its font emphasizing the shocking surprise. On the next spread, matched in magnitude, an unamused crow stares down at the miscreant, but Little Brown Bird can't resist. Soon, Cardinal and Dove are experimenting, too. As the silliness spreads, the story actually turns sideways for a moment, forcing readers to physically rotate the book 90 degrees. Repeat listeners will gleefully join in with the rhyming dialogue bubbles. The mixed-media illustrations created with pencil, charcoal and ink and with digitally added color are made up of simple and stylized images, but the birds are recognizable. "The neighborhood was never the same," the narrator reports, and neither will be the charmed listeners and readers of this cheerful invitation to invention. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews