Marvin Wanted More!

by Joseph Theobald, Joseph Theobald (Illustrator)

Overview

Marvin is not happy. Why are the other sheep bigger than him? And why are they faster than him? And WHY can they jump higher than him?

Something has to change, and Marvin knows exactly how to change it . . . by EATING! Because if he's bigger than the other sheep, then surely he will be better, too?
And after eating the grass and the flowers and the bushes, Marvin wants more. And after eating the trees and the clouds and the sky, Marvin still wants more! But what happens when there's nothing more left for Marvin to eat?

A brilliantly funny picture book about a brilliantly greedy sheep!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781408838983
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	05/08/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	122 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

This is Joseph Theobald's first book. He trained at Falmouth Art College, and is currently living and helping build a boat in Spain.
This is Joseph Theobald's second book, his first being Marvin Wanted More. He trained at Falmouth Art College, and is currently living and helping to build a boat in Spain.

Editorial Reviews

Marvin the sheep certainly seems hefty enough-he resembles a plump, dimpled marshmallow-and his friend Molly assures him that "I like you as you are." But Marvin believes he is too small to "run as fast or jump as high as the other sheep" and decides to eat his way into becoming an Alpha mutton. His gustatory diligence pays off quickly, and soon he's making the other sheep look like fleecy golf balls. But Marvin isn't satisfied. "Just a little bit more," he says, a theme (or variation thereof) that becomes the book's refrain. He eats the entire meadow (including the trees); he stands in the ocean at the earth's curvature and blithely consumes a country as if it were a patch of lawn; and finally, he "ate the world!" (using the moon as a stepladder). Theobald makes a promising debut here. Working in stylized shapes and lines and using a bright, limited palette, he creates ostensibly serene, deadpan renderings that make Marvin's creature-feature metamorphosis all the funnier. Theobald understands his audience's taste for expulsive humor, and draws upon the motivating forces of both loneliness and regurgitation ("Baaaaaa!" says Marvin, as he spews the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and other landmarks) to restore the natural order. Ages 3-5. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 3-Life is lovely for all the sheep that play in the lush, green meadow under clear, blue skies except for Marvin: "I can't run as fast or jump as high as the other sheep-. I'm too small, it's not fair." So with dreams of becoming just a little bigger, he begins to eat more-and to grow. The problem is that he doesn't know when to quit, and his out-of-control behavior drives him to devour everything in sight, including, ultimately, the world. Together with comical, bold illustrations, the spare, repetitive text tells a cautionary tale about self-acceptance. Each full-color spread provides ample space for the cavorting, puffed-up sheep, whose expressive faces reflect the increasing peril of Marvin's self-centered romp. In the tradition of "The Fat Cat," the story is predictable with a satisfying, if slightly far-fetched, conclusion. A delightful choice for storytimes, with enough hilarity to pull in older children.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Like puffy clouds with smiling faces and sticklike legs, sheep gambol merrily upon sunlit green hills-all but Marvin, that is, who resents being slightly smaller and less athletic than average. So, he starts to eat: grass, trees, and hills at first, then on to all of Ireland, and finally the entire world. Ultimately, huge but lonely, he vomits it all back up ("BAAAAA!") and rejoins his flock, now content with his lot. Theobald compensates, at least in part, for the unoriginal plot (see Henrik Drescher's Boy Who Ate Around, 1994) and flimsy psychology with simply drawn, tongue-in-cheek scenes replete with irresistibly cuddlesome woolly baa-baas in lively colors on full-bleed, double-paged spreads. The art carries the humor-and the day. So call this a promising debut, with an underdeveloped storyline. (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews