The Guild of Geniuses

by Dan Santat, Dan Santat (Illustrator)

Overview

From Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, a funny, empathetic (and GREAT-LOOKING) picture book about the cure for feeling neglected.

Are you having a bad weather day? You should try Dr. Lancaster's Portable Weather Machine. Want to rise above it all? Check out Dr. Torrance's Anti-Gravity Belt. Yes, THE GUILD OF GENIUSES has created many fantastic inventions to satisfy humanity's most pressing needs...So when Fred's best friend Mr. Pip seems a little down, Fred knows just who to call. The Guild introduces Mr. Pip to other monkeys (in case he was lonely) and throws him a parade (so he can feel important). But it turns out Fred may hold the solution after all — and he doesn't have to be a genius to be a good friend.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780439430968
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/27/2015
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.34(d)
Lexile:	AD760L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Dan Santat wrote and illustrated the graphic novel Sidekicks, and has also illustrated many acclaimed picture books, including The Guild of Geniuses and The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, which won the Caldecott Medal. He lives in Alhambra, California, with his family. Visit his website at dantat.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Guild of Geniuses"Children will chuckle over the urbane visual humor in this promising debut." — Kirkus Reviews"Kitschy fifties design and appealingly drawn characters make this a promising debut from Santat... Readers should keep an eye on Santat's attention-getting art and sympathetic monkey hero." — Publishers Weekly"Santat creates a fabulous world filled with kitschy delights... Some will recognize elements of Maira Kalman and William Joyce's artwork, but Santat is freshly his own." — Booklist

From the Publisher

Kitschy fifties design and appealingly drawn characters make this a promising debut from Santat, despite a disjointed plot. Mr. Pip, a long-tailed monkey, and Frederick Lipton, a movie star with a black pompadour and goatee, share a warm friendship. Images show them playing with cereal-box prizes and goofing off in Frederick's tiki-d cor abode. But on Frederick's birthday, so many fabulous gifts arrive that Mr. Pip cannot find the right moment to give Frederick his present; the fellow huddles in the lonely lower-right corner of the page, clutching the drawing he made for his friend. Frederick doesn't understand Mr. Pip's sadness, so he sends the monkey to the Guild of Geniuses ("four of the smartest people in the world") to determine the problem. The gray-haired, stoop-shouldered Guild-three men and one woman, wearing lab coats and red fezzes-send Mr. Pip on a moon mission and try to cheer him up. Nothing works until Frederick rejoins his pal; Mr. Pip had needed togetherness "in the first place. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out." The episodes allow Santat to showcase his lively acrylics, with their 1950s mod streamlines and nostalgia for beatnik fashion. However, the story of Mr. Pip and Frederick's misunderstanding is awkwardly attached to that of the inventors (who are barely introduced). Nonetheless, readers should keep an eye on Santat's attention-getting art and sympathetic monkey hero. Ages 4-8. (Nov.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

The story doesn't quite float, but the sight of a very sad little monkey against backgrounds littered with retro, tin-can robots, wild-haired scientists in lab coats, and puckish sight gags will draw curious readers along. Seeing the solid gold car and similar gifts waiting in the lobby, little Mr. Pip the monkey doesn't get around to giving his movie-star friend Frederick a simple birthday drawing. After fussing over his now-gloomy buddy to no avail, the mystified Frederick hires the Guild of Geniuses to cheer him up-but not even their efforts, which include importing a barrel of other monkeys, and even sending Pip to the Moon, can do the deed. Finally, it's just a chance to hand Frederick the drawing (plus a Moon rock), have it properly appreciated, and then have a private party that turns Pip around. For more obtuse readers, Santat makes the Lesson explicit: "Spending time together was the most fun either had had for weeks. In fact, it was all Mr. Pip had needed in the first place." Pip comes across as more moody than neglected, but children will chuckle over the urbane visual humor in this promising debut. (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews