Synopses & Reviews
When James and Eamon goand#160;to a week ofand#160;Nature Camp and stayand#160;at Eamon's grandparents' house, it turns out that their free timeand#160;spent stayingand#160;inside,and#160;eating waffles, and playingand#160;video gamesand#160;is wayand#160;more interesting than nature. But sometimes thingsand#160;work outand#160;best when they don't go exactly as planned.and#160;and#160;
This Caldecott Honor-winning book is a moving and hilariousand#160;celebration of young boys, childhood friendships, and the power of the imagination, whereand#160;Marla Frazee captures the very essence of summer vacation and what it means to be a kid.
Review
"A perfect picture book . . . [A] unique, imaginative interpretation."--
School Library Journal (starred review)
"Frazee's skillful drafting . . . makes this a tune easy to sing along with."--The Bulletin
"One of America's greatest children's songs gets the fascinating drawings it deserves. Captivating!"--Pete Seeger
Review
"A most successful team effort."--
The Horn Book"Lively illustrations sparkle . . . [This book] should prove a soothing balm for exasperated moms and their busy little bees."--Kirkus Reviews
"Harriet . . . is a thoroughly engaging character, one whose acquaintance readers will be delighted to make."--The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Captur[es] both the train's breathtaking speed and a hilarious range of rider reactions with consummate skill."--
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A sweet and cheerful book."--The New York Times Book Review
Review
* "Frazee (Roller Coaster) salutes grandparents and slyly notes children's diversions in this breezy tale of and#8220;the best week ever.and#8221; After Eamon enrolls in nature camp, he spends nights with his grandparents, Bill and Pam, at their beach cottage. Eamon's friend James joins the sleepover, and although the text describes James as and#8220;very sadand#8221; when his mother drives away, a cartoon shows him exuberantly waving and#8220;Bye!and#8221; Humorous contradictions arise between the hand-lettered account (and#8220;Bill handed them each a pair of binoculars and a list of birds to look for. On the way home, the boys reported their findingsand#8221;) and voice-bubble exchanges between the boys (Eamon, training the lenses on James: and#8220;His freckles are huge.and#8221; James: and#8220;Yeah, and his tongue is grossand#8221;). Bill tries to interest the boys in a museum exhibit on penguins; the inseparable friends (and#8220;To save time, Bill began calling them Jamonand#8221;) show no enthusiasm yet energetically build and#8220;penguinsand#8221; from mussel shells. Frazee's narrative resembles a tongue-in-cheek travel journal, with plenty of enticing pencil and gouache illustrations of the characters knocking about the shoreline. Like The Hello Goodbye Window, Frazee's story celebrates casual extended-family affection, with a knowing wink at the friends' dismissal of their elders' best-laid plans." (starred review)
Review
* and#8220;Frazeeand#8217;s hilarious round-headed cartoons romp across the page in snort-inducing counterpoint, abetted by the occasional speech balloon. . . . The genius here is not that the boys finally get outside in the end; itand#8217;s that their joy in being together is celebrated equally whether theyand#8217;re annihilating each other in a video game or building a replica of Antarctica on Bill and Pamand#8217;s dock. As respectful of kid sensibilities and priorities as itand#8217;s possible for an adult to achieve.and#8221; (starred review)
Review
* and#8220;Summer can seem a long time away during the colder portions of the year, and summer books can hold a special promise and poignancy in the long run-up until the months of freedom. Truly stellar summer books, such as Lynne Rae Perkinsand#8217; Pictures from Our Vacation can evoke the weirdness and unexpected magic of summerand#8217;s free-form experiences even in the darkest season. Add in some snarky and boisterous grade-school humor, and youand#8217;ve got A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever. . . . This sweetly captures the pleasures of youthful time-wasting in the company of your best friend with a keen understanding that those pleasures are best when theyand#8217;re unsentimental. The result is just realistic enough to be perfect, a grade-schoolerand#8217;s idyllic summer with limited demands for learning and bettering and a whole lot of reveling in kid priorities. A wonderful late-winter reminder that summer is coming, this will cheer up audiences by encouraging them to reflect on glorious summers past and even more glorious summers to anticipate.and#8221; (starred review)
Review
*andnbsp;and#8220;Frazee brings out the typical energy of a couple of boys who may scoff at nature and seem to prefer watching TV, but it is through her artful illustrations that readers catch glimpses of just how savvy and creative these kids can be. . . . This intergenerational story will elicit howls of laughter and requests for repeated readings.and#8221; (starred review)
Review
"Extraordinarily expressive . . . children . . . will thoroughly enjoy this rowdy holiday celebration."
Review
"He tests mechanical toys, bonds with stuffed animals, wraps everything and then carefully selects the right toy for every child."
Review
"Frazee takes a peek into all of St. Nick's thorough - but oh, so fun - work..."
Review
"A master at creating scenes and moods, ... readers will want to explore repeatedly."
Review
"Effortlessly clever . . . Frazee delivers the exact right book for the exact right season."
Synopsis
How does Santa know how to match the exact right toy with the exact right kid every December?
He knows because he's the world's number one kid and toy and gift expert, and he works long, long hours the whole year through, taking notes, compiling his research, thinking and testing and changing his mind. Then, at last, he gets it all figured out, and on Christmas morning, he makes magic happen.
Celebrated author-illustrator Marla Frazee's fresh, lively take on a traditional subject is sure to become a favorite with young believers everywhere. With delicious humorous moments and a warm, unexpected ending, this book is truly a Christmas treat, one that begs to be read aloud and savored year after year.
Synopsis
The perfect lullaby for all restless babies and their exhausted, loving families.
Synopsis
A baby who howls all night, parents at their wits' end, and a big sister who accidentally on purpose started it all. With warmth and wry humor, Marla Frazee's refreshingly unsentimental interpretation of a timeless folk lullaby will bring a smile to the face of even the most exhausted family member.
Synopsis
Harriet is a child who would drive
any parent to shout.
Synopsis
Harriet doesn't
mean to be pesky. Sometimes she just is. And her mother doesn't
mean to lose her temper. Sometimes she just does.
But Harriet and her mother know that even when they do things they wish they hadn't, they still love each other very much.
Synopsis
Peter wants only milk, Lucy won't settle for anything but homemade lemonade, and Jack is stuck on applesauce. Each new addition to the Peters household brings a new demand for a special meal.
What's a mother to do? Even though Mrs. Peters picks, peels, strains, scrapes, poaches, fries, and kneads, the requests for special foods keep coming. It isn't until her birthday arrives that a present from her children solves the problem with a hilarious surprise that pleases everyone.
Synopsis
From celebrated picture book creator Marla Frazee, here is a playful glimpse into the life of Santa Claus.
Synopsis
Get ready to experience the thrill of riding a coaster for the
very first time in this vibrant new book from acclaimed picture book creator Marla Frazee.
Synopsis
Clickity, clackity. Clickity, clackity.
The roller coaster car is going up, up, up to the highest spot. And at least one of the people in the car has never ridden on a roller coaster before . . . ever. Wheeeeeeee!
Get ready to experience the thrill of riding a coaster for the very first time in this vibrant new adventure from acclaimed picture book creator Marla Frazee.
Synopsis
Two friends have a Nature Camp week to remember!
Synopsis
How does Santa know how to match the exact right toy with the exact right kid every December? Heand#8217;s the worldand#8217;s number one toy expert, thatand#8217;s how! This sneak peek into Santaand#8217;s workshop is a joyful Christmas treat from the Caldecott honoree Marla Frazee. With delicious humorous moments and a warm, unexpected ending, this book is truly a Christmas treat. And now, in the Send-A-Story format, it's ready to be mailed off to your favorite believer.A tiny, mailable version complete with addressable flaps and seals.Why send a card when you can Send-A-Story?
About the Author
When James and Eamon goand#160;to a week ofand#160;Nature Camp and stayand#160;at Eamon's grandparents' house, it turns out that their free timeand#160;spent stayingand#160;inside,and#160;eating waffles, and playingand#160;video gamesand#160;iswayand#160;more interesting than nature. But sometimes thingsand#160;work outand#160;best when theydon'tgo exactly as planned.and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; In this moving and hilariousand#160;celebration of young boys, childhood friendships, and the power of the imagination, Marla Frazee captures the very essence of summer vacation and what it means to be a kid.Two friends have a Nature Camp week to remember!* "Frazee (Roller Coaster) salutes grandparents and slyly notes childrens diversions in this breezy tale of and#8220;the best week ever.and#8221; After Eamon enrolls in nature camp, he spends nights with his grandparents, Bill and Pam, at their beach cottage. Eamons friend James joins the sleepover, and although the text describes James as and#8220;very sadand#8221; when his mother drives away, a cartoon shows him exuberantly waving and#8220;Bye!and#8221; Humorous contradictions arise between the hand-lettered account (and#8220;Bill handed them each a pair of binoculars and a list of birds to look for. On the way home, the boys reported their findingsand#8221;) and voice-bubble exchanges between the boys (Eamon, training the lenses on James: and#8220;His freckles arehuge.and#8221; James: and#8220;Yeah, and his tongue isgrossand#8221;). Bill tries to interest the boys in a museum exhibit on penguins; the inseparable friends (and#8220;To save time, Bill began calling them Jamonand#8221;) show no enthusiasm yet energetically build and#8220;penguinsand#8221; from mussel shells. Frazees narrative resembles a tongue-in-cheek travel journal, with plenty of enticing pencil and gouache illustrations of the characters knocking about the shoreline. LikeThe Hello Goodbye Window, Frazees story celebrates casual extended-family affection, with a knowing wink at the friends dismissal of their elders best-laid plans." (starred review)* and#8220;Frazeeand#8217;s hilarious round-headed cartoons romp across the page in snort-inducing counterpoint, abetted by the occasional speech balloon. . . . The genius here is not that the boys finally get outside in the end; itand#8217;s that their joy in being together is celebrated equally whether theyand#8217;re annihilating each other in a video game or building a replica of Antarctica on Bill and Pamand#8217;s dock. As respectful of kid sensibilities and priorities as itand#8217;s possible for an adult to achieve.and#8221; (starred review)* and#8220;Summer can seem a long time away during the colder portions of the year, and summer books can hold a special promise and poignancy in the long run-up until the months of freedom. Truly stellar summer books, such as Lynne Rae Perkinsand#8217; Pictures from Our Vacation can evoke the weirdness and unexpected magic of summerand#8217;s free-form experiences even in the darkest season. Add in some snarky and boisterous grade-school humor, and youand#8217;ve got A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever. . . . This sweetly captures the pleasures of youthful time-wasting in the company of your best friend with a keen understanding that those pleasures are best when theyand#8217;re unsentimental. The result is just realistic enough to be perfect, a grade-schoolerand#8217;s idyllic summer with limited demands for learning and bettering and a whole lot of reveling in kid priorities. A wonderful late-winter reminder that summer is coming, this will cheer up audiences by encouraging them to reflect on glorious summers past and even more glorious summers to anticipate.and#8221; (starred review)*andnbsp;and#8220;Frazee brings out the typical energy of a couple of boys who may scoff at nature and seem to prefer watching TV, but it is through her artful illustrations that readers catch glimpses of just how savvy and creative these kids can be. . . . This intergenerational story will elicit howls of laughter and requests for repeated readings.and#8221; (starred review)MARLA FRAZEE has illustrated many picture books, includingEverywhere Babiesby Susan Meyers andHarriet, You'll Drive Me Wild!by Mem Fox, as well as her ownWalk On!andand#160;Santa Claus the World's Number One Toy Expert.She lives in Pasadena, California.and#160;and#160;