Something for You

by Charlie Mylie

Overview

Something for You is a touching picture book about lending a hand and the gift of friendship, from debut author-illustrator Charlie Mylie, whom Brian Selznick has heralded as “a major new talent in children's books.”

A mouse’s friend is sick. What can he do to help her? He’ll go get her something! But what? Something little? Something to share? Or something just for her? When his search doesn’t go as planned, our mouse realizes that the best gift to give is something he’s had all along.

With expressive characters, sweeping landscapes, and spare text, Charlie Mylie’s debut is a charming story of the comforts that friendship can bring.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250765901
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	11/26/2019
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Charlie Mylie is a Kansas City-based illustrator who spent years performing as “Pop Up Charlie,” drawing on-the-spot watercolors by request across the country. He also works with the founders of the Rabbit Hole, the World’s First Explorastorium. Something For You is his debut picture book.
Charlie Mylie is a Kansas City-based illustrator who spent years performing as “Pop Up Charlie,” drawing on-the-spot watercolors by request across the country. He also works with the founders of the Rabbit Hole, the World’s First Explorastorium. Something For You is his debut picture book.

Editorial Reviews

09/09/2019

A bighearted maximalist offers a minimalistic gift in Mylie’s picture book debut.When a mouse in an orange jacket drops a cake by a friend’s house (“I’ve got something”) and discovers her tucked in and ailing (“Oh no! You’ve got something, too”), he tends to her with care. And after making tea, opening the window, and putting on some Chopin nocturnes, he promises a return visit—and a gift. Tender, softly colored ink-and-wash snapshots with a classic feel show the mouse setting off on a search. He wanders through a pebble- and garbage-strewn path (where he fills his pockets with blooms, “some for me, some for you”), through a drainpipe (“this is mine, too,” he notes, hefting a shell to his ear), and hiking up a rocky hill. There, he finds and wrestles free an enormous purple thistle: “This will be just for you.” An unexpected storm steals the blooms away, and he returns to his pal, despondent, in the rain: “nothing for me,/ nothing for you.” But his friend—reading Abel’s Island in bed when he arrives—suggests that friendship requires little more than “us.” An affectionate tale of friendship. Ages 3–6. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Sophisticated layouts and clever use of panels create a visual narrative that takes readers on a journey with the character. A comforting reminder of friendship's restorative properties.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Mylie’s creative watercolor illustrations awaken this friendship story. . .A timeless story about the beauty and value of friendship that young readers will want to revisit time and time again.” —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

11/01/2019

PreS-Gr 1—A mouse goes to visit a friend only to discover that she is sick in bed. He does his best to care for her but then sets out on a journey to find something special to cheer her up. Along the way, he unearths lots of pretty objects; some are perfect for her and others are perfect for him. While collecting these gifts, he runs into a bit of trouble and loses everything. The disappointed mouse returns to his friend's bedside empty-handed, but soon learns he already possessed the best gift of all—friendship. Mylie's creative watercolor illustrations awaken this friendship story. Each illustrated panel is rich with such fine detail and soft coloring that the spare text is almost unnecessary. VERDICT A timeless story about the beauty and value of friendship that young readers will want to revisit time and time again.—Maegen Rose, Rye Country Day School, NY

School Library Journal

2019-08-28
When a fancy present for a sick friend goes awry, a kindhearted mouse realizes friendship is the greatest gift of all.

Upon finding a friend ill, a fawn-colored mouse provides tender care. With sweet devotion the visitor brews tea, plays music, and tucks in the blankets. While the ailing friend sleeps, the visiting mouse journeys out, gathering pocketfuls of flowers to bring back; but when a storm blows the bouquet away, the bereft mouse dejectedly returns empty-handed. Kind words and a hug await as the gray mouse offers reassurances that being together is enough. The text is kept to a bare minimum, consisting mostly of variations on the titular phrase. The illustrations, done in watercolor, pen, and pencil, carry the narrative and offer shades of meaning that keep the repetition from feeling stale. Frequently laid out in overlapping panels, they feature simply cartooned, expressively appealing characters. While the pastel palette may be reminiscent of Kevin Henkes, these mice—with their rounder faces and physiques—are all sincerity, without the individuality or hilarity of Henkes' mice stories. Sophisticated layouts and clever use of panels create a visual narrative that takes readers on a journey with the character.

A comforting reminder of friendship's restorative properties. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews