Normal Norman

by Tara Lazar, S. britt (Illustrator)

Overview

What is "normal?" That's the question an eager young scientist, narrating her very first book, hopes to answer. Unfortunately, her exceedingly "normal" subject—an orangutan named Norman—turns out to be exceptionally strange. He speaks English, sleeps in a bed, loves his stuffed toy, goes bananas over pizza, and even deep-sea dives! Oh, no: what's a "normal" scientist to do? A humorous look at the wackiness that makes us all special— and a gentle reminder that "normal" can't ever be defined!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454913214
Publisher:	Union Square Kids
Publication date:	03/01/2016
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,079,413
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Tara Lazar lives in Basking Ridge, NJ, with her husband, two daughters, and 2,749 stuffed animals. She’s the author of The Monstore, I Thought This Was a Bear Book (both Simon & Schuster), and Little Red Gliding Hood (Random House). Tara founded Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo), an annual online writing event held on her award-winning blog at taralazar.wordpress.com, which has hundreds of registered users and receives tens of thousands of blog hits.
 
S.britt (AKA Stephan Britt) first developed his zeal for drawing in childhood, when he drew on anything and everything that wasn’t dripping wet. His first picture book, Over In the Hollow (Chronicle), was a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best. Stephan lives in Portland, OR. Visit him online at sbritt.com

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2016
K-Gr 2—A junior scientist is very excited (and a little nervous) to be narrating a book that will define the word normal. Her subject is Norman, a gorilla who we are told is exceedingly normal. Unfortunately for our scientist, no one told Norman. The girl is stymied in her endeavor to show readers normal behavior at every turn. Norman likes pizza, not bananas; he speaks in English, not animal sounds; he sleeps in a bunk bed with his stuffed animal; and his best friend is a snake. Eventually, Norman invites the scientist to see him and his friends in their natural habitat, which of course turns out to be completely abnormal. Having an epiphany, the scientist quits to go back to her normal hobby of playing a Dr. Seuss-esque musical instrument. In case anyone has missed the point, the last illustration shows the senior scientist (father) taking note: "Results: 'Normal' is impossible to define. Assignment complete!" The humorous text is an eye-catching mix of various fonts, instructional labels, and word bubbles. The amusing illustrations use color, detail, and white space to good effect and perfectly capture the mood and expressions of the characters. VERDICT Despite being overly long and a tad didactic, this book is a topical and humorous addition.—Catherine Callegari, formerly at Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

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