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Just a Story

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Just a Story

Hardcover

$18.99

Hardcover
$18.99

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Overview

Reading is wild, dangerous... fantastic! The possibilities are endless, the perils enormous—good thing it's just a story.

A boy happens upon a discarded book that transforms a library into an escalating series of near misses and close encounters with dastardly pirates, a herd of scooter-riding elephants, a big blue whale, and is that an alien in an Elvis wig?

But surprise, he escapes without a scratch, because it's just a story...

With an exuberant art style reminiscent of newspaper comic strips, illustrator Jeff Mack brings imagination to life in this riotous tale about the power of reading.

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823446636
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	09/08/2020
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.10(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jeff Mack is the author and illustrator of many books for young readers, including Hush Little Polar Bear, Good News, Bad News, and Clueless McGee. He has also illustrated award winning picture books and chapter books such as Eve Bunting's Hurry! Hurry! and James Howe's Bunnicula and Friends. He lives in Western Massachusetts.

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

06/29/2020
Extolling literature’s transportive properties, this picture book follows a child who discovers a magical purple tome at the library. As the brown-haired kid sits, absorbed, turning the book’s pages, surprising characters begin appearing in the inclusively populated library. After narrowly missing capture by two pirates and a hungry lion, the young reader is “almost trampled by a herd of wild elephants/ and then almost stomped on/ by a big baby dragon,” with wilder characters successively wreaking havoc. After the child leaves, hand in hand with a caretaker, another walks by with an elderly guardian and notices, then begins reading, the purple book. The motley fantastical cast reappears, emphasizing the universality and transcendence of a good story. Mack’s cartoon illustrations include fun details (the elephants have scooters and patterned helmets) and bold color choices that impart a sense of modernity. A gently humorous reading adventure. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Extolling literature’s transportive properties, this picture book follows a child who discovers a magical purple tome at the library. . . . A gently humorous reading adventure."—Publishers Weekly

"The deadpan text is a foil for the rowdy artwork, cheery scenes littered with clues for alert viewers: a tree sprouting out of the floor, a lion paw, book covers themed with the coming comical attacks, and a library lady who carries on unflappably throughout the mayhem." —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"The imaginative power of a story, brought to life. —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

01/29/2021
K-Gr 2—A young white boy reads a book in a library, and the story comes alive; the library quickly is taken over by stampeding elephants, diaper-wearing dragons, butterflies, and even a UFO. The boy remains oblivious of the shenanigans occurring around him. Only the threat of a kiss, every young boy's worst nightmare, snaps him out of his reverie. Of course, it was "just a story," the chaos in the library symbolic of the vivid images a book can conjure in the imagination. Mack's illustrations are bright and colorful. He is able to pack the page with personality and movement without overwhelming the flow of the book. The boy reads independently, which may inspire younger readers to do the same. On the back flap is an illustration of a young Black girl, who also appears at the end of the story to carry on the conceit. VERDICT The thrill of reading has been well documented, and this book doesn't unfurl new territory; recommended for larger collections where the Mack's work is already popular.—Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA

School Library Journal

2020-07-14
Is a story ever just a story?
A small boy with pale skin and a mop of messy, brown hair sits on the floor of the library, reading, when suddenly, pirates climb out of a floor tile and are about to capture him. Luckily, before that can happen, a lion appears and scares the pirates. Unfortunately, the lion is poised to eat the little boy, but then “a herd of wild elephants” (on scooters and wearing helmets, naturally) comes careening through, scattering both the pirates and the lion. Mack’s expressive cartoon illustrations heighten the drama as the little boy (seemingly unfazed, still reading) is put in more and more danger. A giant, green foot stamps down, narrowly missing the boy—does it belong to a dinosaur? No, it’s a big, drooling baby dragon’s. And of course, in keeping with the absurd humor, a “belly-flopping blue whale” comes next. However, what is the scariest thing in this litany of ever increasing peril? A possible kiss! The little boy slams the book shut, instantly restoring order to the library. But when a new reader, a young brown-skinned tot, opens it, all of the characters crowd back into the frame, ready for their parts.
The imaginative power of a story brought to life. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

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