Larf

by Ashley Spires, Ashley Spires (Illustrator)

Overview

No one believes Larf exists, and he likes it that way. Larf, you see, is a sasquatch, the only sasquatch in the world (or so it seems). He has a very pleasant, and very private, life in the woods, where on any given day he might be found jogging, gardening or walking Eric, his pet bunny. But everything changes one morning when Larf discovers that another sasquatch is scheduled to make an appearance in the nearby city of Hunderfitz. What?! That must mean he's not the only sasquatch in the world! Excited by the prospect of having a friend to share hair grooming tips with (and let's face it, teeter-tottering alone is no fun), Larf disguises himself as a city slicker and heads for Hunderfitz — where he's in for a couple enormous surprises. Ashley Spires once again shows her chops for creating irresistible, quirky characters and laugh-aloud stories and illustrations. Readers with little feet and big feet will fall head over heels for Larf.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554537013
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	04/01/2012
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,056,471
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Ashley Spires grew up in the Pacific Northwest, the supposed stomping grounds of Bigfoot. She is the author and illustrator of a number of books for children, including Small Saul and the Adventures of Binky the Space Cat. She was the recipient of the 2011 Silver Birch Express Award and the 2011 Hackmatack Award for Binky the Space Cat and was shortlisted for a Joe Shuster Comics for Kids Award and an Eisner Award for Binky Under Pressure. Ashley currently lives in British Columbia.

Ashley Spires grew up in the Pacific Northwest, the supposed stomping grounds of Bigfoot. She is the author and illustrator of a number of books for children, including Small Saul and the Adventures of Binky the Space Cat. She was the recipient of the 2011 Silver Birch Express Award and the 2011 Hackmatack Award for Binky the Space Cat and was shortlisted for a Joe Shuster Comics for Kids Award and an Eisner Award for Binky Under Pressure. Ashley currently lives in British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

Spires’s characters tend to have uneasy relationships with both themselves and their environments—from Binky the Space Cat, an adventuring feline who doesn’t leave his house, to Small Saul, a gentle pirate among ruffians. Larf fits right in with that crew, a gentle worrywart of a sasquatch who loves his peaceful, out-of-the-way life in the woods. But when he reads that a sasquatch will be appearing in nearby Hunderfitz, he realizes that his life could change for the better with a friend (“He could share hair grooming tips. And his witty commentary on cheesy movies would no longer go to waste”). Things don’t go as planned, but Larf still ends up with a chance at a furry friendship. Humor has always been a strong suit for Spires, and her drily funny storytelling (“Suddenly, Larf spots the other sasquatch! But something doesn’t seem quite right. Why are its eyeballs not moving? Is that a zipper down its belly?”) and drolly detailed illustrations (such as the beret and fake beard that constitute Larf’s “disguise”) will entertain children, older siblings, and adults alike. Ages 3–7. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

... a story that exudes its own dry warmth.—Kirkus Reviews

Humor has always been a strong suit for Spires, and her drily funny storytelling will entertain children, older siblings, and adults alike.—Publisher's Weekly

The story has humor and sweetness ... Larf is sure to draw laughs.—School Library Journal

... a doozy of a picture book ... big, bold pages will be enjoyed by big groups and independent readers alike.—Booklist, Starred Review

... funny and comforting.—The Toronto Star

From the Publisher

K-Gr 3—Larf is a big, lovable sasquatch who believes that he is one of a kind—until he reads in the newspaper that a sasquatch is going to make an appearance in a nearby town. As much as he has tried to stay hidden from the public, Larf must meet him. But what if they don't get along? He tries to dress incognito, which is hard for a seven-foot beast to do, and heads off to town with his pet rabbit humorously strapped in a baby carrier. The noise and hubbub of the town are frightening and disturbing. How can this other sasquatch stand it? When he finally meets him, he discovers that he is a fake: a person in a sasquatch suit. Disappointed, he heads off to catch a bus home where he meets…a beautiful female sasquatch who had come to town for the same reason he had. Larf is nicer than Shrek but the happily-ever-after endings are the same. Children love books about creatures that are different and they will surely love this one. The story has humor and sweetness. The illustrations are big and wonderful, and Larf is given space to be himself in all of them. His bunny in a harness is repeatedly funny, and when he meets Shurl, she has a tiny pet hen cupped in her enormous hand. Larf is sure to draw laughs.—Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME

School Library Journal

A modest tale of a Bigfoot. Larf is one of those large, hairy, bipedal, apelike cryptids commonly known to humanoids as Sasquatch or Bigfoot. He is a retiring soul--as, evidently, are most Bigfeet. He lives deep in the northern forest with his pet rabbit, Eric, who is one of the more droll creatures--all deadpan, pop-eyed diminutiveness--to inhabit recent picture books. Larf thinks he is one-of-a-kind, but he reads that another Sasquatch is making an appearance in a nearby town. Fascinated, yet harboring the standard run of trepidations when about to meet a potential friend, he dons a minimalist disguise and shows up at the appointed time, only to learn that the Sasquatch is just a guy in costume ("It was all a BIG FAKE"). But someone else has appeared to meet that same Bigfoot, and, who knows, maybe there'll be a Littlefoot in a baby carriage. Spires hits squarely a number of nails here--not least that people wouldn't recognize a Bigfoot right under their collective noses--and her watercolor-and-ink artworks fairly captures the far-north woodlands and the enjoyably kooky characters of her tale. It won't set your hair on fire, but it's a story that exudes its own dry warmth. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews