Vincent X. KirschCritiques

This has very easy seek-and-find counting to ten elements. Altogether charming, especially the styling of rainbow-colored pup and beret-clad Tate. Do not take your pup for granted!

I was looking forward to a pleasant ride through a picture book about a sweet LGBTQ+ romance, but the story kept popping the clutch and grinding gears. The repetition, the circling around, and the characters referring to themselves in the third person just threw me out of the book.

This book was cute. I think it could be hard for young children to understand without it being read, explained, then read again. There were two stories going on simultaneously. It’s about growing, learning to let go and dealing with loss. The tree being climbed and learning for fall from it was used as a symbol. I’d use this book in my class if a student was moving and a classmate may loose a friend.½

Adelia, Roger's best friend is moving away and decides to teach him how to climb a tree. As a reader, it took me a moment to realize the life lessons Adelia had discretely packaged into simply teaching Roger tree climbing. "Falling will be easy. Letting go will be the hardest part..." This would be a nice book to read to a class and open up the topic of the many ways of letting go.

Roger's best friend Adelia is moving away, but first, she's going to teach him how to climb a tree...and how to fall. (The hardest part is letting go.) The illustrations enrich and add to the text of the story, showing the friends gathering supplies they need while Adelia packs for her move.

See also: Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! by Cori Doerrfeld½

Tate likes to draw but his pup keeps getting upset that he/she is never the subject of the sketches.

One of the good things about this book is that the text is very simple and basic so that beginning readers can practice reading without getting easily frustrated. Alternatively, it could be a decent read-aloud for very young preschool children with limited attention spans.

Every other page spread shows off one of Tate's sketches and asks the reader to find 10 of something, such as cats or bugs. As the sketches are very cluttered, this can be harder than it sounds. Kids will really enjoy doing this seek and find.

On the flip side, the book's story is rather slim and portrays what is arguably not the best lesson. When Pup is upset, he/she runs away, which is dangerous. At the end, Tate decides to "always draw Pup." Sure, he should probably make sure Pup feels included, but not to the extent that he draws nothing else going forward.

The illustrations are rather cartoon-ish, which I guess fits the simplicity of this book as a whole. However, there always seems to be too much going on any given page, and I personally found it overwhelming trying to focus on anything. I wonder if children will have the same problem.½

Kirsch has a string of picture books dating back to 2008, many of which are out of print. Last year he published an easy reader for Holiday House's I Like to Read line, and it is certainly different from the average easy reader, although it appears to stay true to his quirky style.

Colorful, cartoon-like sketches show a young artist, named Tate, and his playful, rainbow-colored Pup. Tate draws everything around him, challenging readers to find and count the creatures he displays. Pup, meanwhile, juggles, stands on his head, and tries everything he can to attract Tate's attention, but to no avail. Finally, after Tate has drawn, and reader's have counted, flowers, birds, bugs, cats, clowns, and more, Tate notices what he's missing. Pup, complete with red clown-nose and bright pink bow and color, returns home, and Tate promises to always see and include him in his pictures.

Kirsch's quirky art style reminded me somewhat of retro, pen and ink drawings, but his rainbow-colored pup and ubiquitous cats are all his own. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about mixing seek-and-find elements into an easy reader, especially for younger children who are trying to decipher words, but it certainly adds a fun aspect and I think kids will be enthusiastic about it. They would also make really cool coloring pages...

This book series is an unusual size for easy readers, more of a picture book size, about 8x10. This particular title is a level D.

Verdict: I think this is too busy to be a really superlative early easy reader, but it's certainly an excellent mid-list title to fill in that important early level section.

ISBN: 9780823439409; Published 2018 by Holiday House; Purchased for the library

When Roger's best friend Adelia announces that she is moving away, she softens the blow by telling him that she will teach him how to climb a tree. As she goes about gathering various materials, she gives instructions about each step of the process. As she is leaving, Roger asks her what will happen if he falls, to which she replies: "Falling will be easy. Letting go will be the hardest part..."

The third picture-book I have read from author/illustrator Vincent X. Kirsch, following upon his The Two Little Boys from Toolittle Toys and The Chandeliers, this sweet little story addresses one of the common challenges of childhood: parting with a good friend, when one of your must move away. I thought the use of the idea of letting go, in Adelia's instructions about tree-climbing, was inspired, as clearly Roger needs to do just that, not only with the tree, but with his friend as well. The illustrations here, created using a variety of media (watercolor, blank ink, glue, graphite, cut tracing paper), are colorful, engaging, and always expressive. I particularly like the four-panel page in which Roger climbs the tree, which is juxtaposed with a full-page illustration of him sitting upon a high branch. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about saying goodbye to a friend, because they are moving away.

Can You Find Pup? is a wonderful way to begin to read! the illustrations use color versus black and white to aid in the "search for ten things' part of the story. Genius! And yes! I found pup.

Hide and seek book with 'find the ten'
Library unfortunately stuck big RFID tag on inside cover, where the story is concluded. Words are not covered, but pictures are.

A stage family par excellence, the Chandeliers, from writer/director/designer Mr. Maximilian Chandelier to dancing prodigy Daffodil Chandelier, were all famous for their various talents. Only Rufus, the youngest and most obscure member of this performing giraffe ensemble, remained behind the scenes. Despite that fact, or perhaps because of it, he managed to save the show on a consistent basis, until eventually he too received the accolades he deserved...

The second picture-book I have read from author/artist Vincent Kirsch, following upon his The Two Little Boys from Toolittle Toys, The Chandeliers has that same mix of quirky characters, madcap adventure, and appealing artwork. I appreciated the decorative end-papers, in which Kirsch sets out his cast of characters, and thought the illustrations throughout were quite amusing. The story itself is engaging, and ultimately heartwarming, as Rufus eventually gets the recognition he has coming, for working so hard behind the scenes. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books addressing life on stage, or the theme of being the youngest in a family.

Rudy and Riddle Toolittle, two brothers whose family owned and operated the Toolittle Toy laboratory, had an important job: testing all of the playthings produced by the company. Then one day, Rudy declared that he was getting too old to play with toys, which he decided to examine more analytically. Could Riddle find a way to bring his brother back to their true calling...?

A sweet story of brothers, toys and the fun young boys have playing with one another, The Two Little Boys from Toolittle Toys pairs an engaging narrative with humorous, appealing artwork. I particularly appreciated the ways in which author/artist Vincent Kirsch's illustrations expand upon the text, depicting Riddle and his clever method of dealing with his somewhat obtuse elder brother. Children will enjoy being "in the know," as they witness the scenes in which Riddle dons and then takes off his disguise. I also liked the decorative end-papers, especially the ones at the rear, which show the Toolittle Toy company's catalogue of toys. Recommended to anyone looking for fun toy-centered tales for the picture-book set.

The story of "The Chandeliers" is a story of a stage family who has a young child that isn't old enough to be in the play, but still holds a very big part. Rufus Chandelier makes sure the entire production goes on without a hitch and is the backbone and most important part of the whole night. It is considered a modern fantasy due to the personification of animals in voice as well as actions. Kindergarteners through second graders may understand the feeling of being young and not being able to do everything the other members of the family can do, so this book may relate to that age group. This book may also help those readers feel a sense of importance in their own family that they may not have felt before. The words within the story should easily be read by older students such as third graders but the younger readers may not be able to read the story alone. The pictures in this book are inviting and colorful while helping capture the ideas within the story.

Stylish but weak story.

Anything can happen but not much does.

Charming friendship story.

Giraffe theatre family.

My 2 daughters alternate these personalities :-)