Awards

• Commended for Cybils (Fiction Picture Book) 2012
• Short-listed for Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award 2013

Overview

Does having a new brother or sister make you into MORE than you already are? Spencer is about to find out. He's as strong as a bear, as funny as a monkey, and as wild as a tiger. But on one special day, everything changes. Now Spencer is strong, funny, wild, brave, free... and gentle, too.

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9781423137603

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Reviews

Out in his backyard, Spencer can be a lot of things: tall as a giraffe (with help from a ladder) or loud as an elephant (provided he has two metal trash cans to bang). Strong, fast, messy, wild-Spencer has those qualities and more within him. But the big question is, can Spencer be gentle when Mom and Dad bring home a new sibling? This is more of an extended rhetorical question than a story; it recognizes-celebrates, really-kids' more rambunctious, free-spirited tendencies, while demonstrating that those same attributes aren't mutually exclusive from tenderness, when it's called for. Schaefer (Just One Bite) wisely invites audience participation by never identifying the animals that complete Spencer's many similes, letting images of the creatures provide the answers, rebus-style. Meserve's (Can Anybody Hear Me?) bold digital drawings are a big plus: she gives Spencer an energetic, devil-may-care intensity that will feel instantly familiar to both kids and parents, and Spencer's expansive, slightly wild backyard, with its climbing trees, meadow, and mud hole, will be the envy of all ages. PW Spencer is a boy. Each of his boy-typical characteristics-strong, fast, tall, loud, wild, messy-are accompanied by a metaphor comparing him to an animal that is pictured but not stated: he's as strong as a bear slurping honey from a beehive; as fast as a horse galloping off the page; and as tall as a giraffe towering next to a tree. On one special day, though, Spencer is quiet and gentle as he becomes a big brother. As his father cradles the bundle of baby, Spencer sits in angelic repose ready to take on his new big-brother responsibility. The engaging visual cues of Meserve's vibrant and energetic artwork and the story's dynamic pacing turn what could have been just another new-sibling book into something much more. In an oh-so-subtle fashion, Schaefer challenges stereotypical gender roles in this insightful picture book. - Patricia Austin Booklist The never-ceasing flow of new-baby books gets an imaginative jolt in this clever and creative title. Spencer may be a boy, but in him you'll find qualities worthy of the entire animal kingdom. He's fast as a horse, tall as a giraffe, funny as a monkey and more. Yet when his parents come home with a new arrival, Spencer finds a new way to describe himself. He may be like animals in many respects, but now he's gentle, just as a big brother should be. One would be right to question whether it's possible to create a wholly original new-baby picture book, but Schaefer's device of making the title part animal story, part sibling tale is a winning one. The text allows readers to guess what animal Spencer will come to resemble next, until finally there is only one thing left to be. To accomplish this, the tone effortlessly slides from raucous and rebellious to quiet and awe-filled (aww-filled too, to be honest) with nary a hitch. Meserve's digital oil pastels of idyllic grass and trees successfully conjure up both the wild bestiary of Spencer's id and the pastoral calm the new baby brings. In a market glutted with books for newbie brothers and sisters, this is one that stands apart. (Picture book. 3-8) Kirkus Pres-Gr 1 Young Spencer is strong as a bear, fast as a horse, tall as a giraffe, and loud as an elephant. But on one special day, he becomes something he has never been before: a brother. With a simple interactive text and thoroughly engaging illustrations, this book is a perfect blending of words and pictures. Beginning with an image of the child standing beside his grandmother as a car pulls away, digitally rendered oil pastels in bold spring colors depict a dark-haired tyke reminiscent of Maurice Sendak's Johnny. Spencer awaits his parents' return by happily running, jumping, and climbing a large apple tree in his grandmother's yard while large animals appear to define his talents. Short beginning sentences require a turn of the page and a fill-in-the-name-of-the-illustrated-animal for completion ( He was funny funny as a [monkey]. ). Large spreads have a sunny quality and are filled with creatures large and small. When his parents finally return, Spencer becomes gentle, sitting with a pillow in his lap as his father hands him the baby. The final images of this loving family will melt readers' hearts. A special book for the special day. Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library SLJ Spencer is a spirited and energetic little boy, characteristics that are described in rich rebus-style illustrated similes ( He was strong-strong as a [picture of bear], He was funny-funny as a [picture of a monkey] ). Spencer is about to take on a few new characteristics, becoming quiet and gentle as he watches for and then welcomes his parents who return home with a new baby sibling. The final spread finds the new family of four lazily spread out on a blanket in the yard while the menagerie of animals from the earlier pages looks on. There is no shortage of books for soon-to-be older siblings, but what makes this one stand out is the celebration of all the great things the older sibling already is followed by the welcome addition of a few new roles; the interactive nature of the text begs for child involvement, functioning almost as a large-scale rebus tale in picture book format. The digital oil pastels feature a country home surrounded by tall grasses and sprinklings of wildflowers, and the setting is perfectly suited to the sense of magic in Spencer's animal imaginings. There is a careful delicacy to the compositions, so that single buds and blades of grass stand out against the sky and yard; Spencer himself has a Sendakian robustness as he bounds about his family's property. While not all older siblings will take to big brotherhood as smoothly as Spencer, his experience is shared here with an abundance of love and affection that plenty of soon-to-be brothers and sisters will warm to. HM BCCB

Spencer is a spirited and energetic little boy, characteristics that are described in rich rebus-style illustrated similes ( He was strong-strong as a [picture of bear], He was funny-funny as a [picture of a monkey] ). Spencer is about to take on a few new characteristics, becoming quiet and gentle as he watches for and then welcomes his parents who return home with a new baby sibling. The final spread finds the new family of four lazily spread out on a blanket in the yard while the menagerie of animals from the earlier pages looks on. There is no shortage of books for soon-to-be older siblings, but what makes this one stand out is the celebration of all the great things the older sibling already is followed by the welcome addition of a few new roles; the interactive nature of the text begs for child involvement, functioning almost as a large-scale rebus tale in picture book format. The digital oil pastels feature a country home surrounded by tall grasses and sprinklings of wildflowers, and the setting is perfectly suited to the sense of magic in Spencer's animal imaginings. There is a careful delicacy to the compositions, so that single buds and blades of grass stand out against the sky and yard; Spencer himself has a Sendakian robustness as he bounds about his family's property. While not all older siblings will take to big brotherhood as smoothly as Spencer, his experience is shared here with an abundance of love and affection that plenty of soon-to-be brothers and sisters will warm to. HM BCCB

Author Information

LOLA M. SCHAEFER (www.lolaschaefer.com) is the author of more than 200 books for children. Her book Frankie Stein was awarded the Children's Choice Book Award and the Mockingbird Award. Lola lives with her husband, Ted, in the mountains of north Georgia. JESSICA MESERVE (www.www.jessicameserve.com) is the author-illustrator of Small Sister and Can Anybody Hear Me? She was born in Maine, studiedillustration in Scotland, and worked in publishing as achildren's book designer before pursuing a career as an illustrator. Her two young children helpedinspire her artwork in this book.

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