Publishers Weekly
11/27/2023
Abed’s rhyming prowess propels this sprightly picture book that follows two siblings jointly composing an adventure. Employing simple couplets, a tan-skinned youth sets the scene: “The other day I wrote this book./ You won’t believe how long it took.” Enter brown-skinned sis, who disrupts the lines with jarring concluding phrases (“She ruined every rhyming verse,/ so now my story sounds much—// MORE MAGNIFICENT!”). The narrator persists in trying to craft the conventional tale of a knight’s daring search for treasure, but plot twists abound as the sister’s alternatives insert a rocket, dancing pirates, and a fire-breathing armadillo. Just as the conceit seems clear, the suggestions become workable rhymes, and the siblings at last find a collaborative scheme. Aly’s energetic digital renderings lean on graphics and sketched overlays to capture the duo’s narrative exploits. Ages 3–7. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
★ "[Kids will] enjoy the silliness [and] the chaos that springs from each unexpected plot twist. . . . Vivid, expressive illustrations capture the characters’ shifting emotions, while creating lively backdrops . . . Sure to amuse." —Booklist (starred review)
★ "Immensely creative . . . Exciting [and] intricate." —BookPage (starred review)
★ “Creativity, imagination, and humor run wild in this story. [It's] clearly Interrupting Chicken meets Harold and the Purple Crayon. . . . Aly’s illustrations are vibrant and full of the action and energy relayed in the text. Funny and wildly unpredictable, this will be a read-aloud hit. Recommended.” —School Library Journal (starred review)
“Riotous . . . Readers will appreciate these rollicking rhymes and laugh at the sister’s out-there ideas. The comical digital illustrations will elicit chuckles. . . . Readers will have a fine time [and] won’t be averse to the verse.” —Kirkus
"Funny throughout . . . but the real payoff comes with a revelation at the end, which will likely prompt readers to go back and look more closely." —The Horn Book
"Omar Abed’s rhyming prowess propels this sprightly picture book that follows two siblings jointly composing an adventure, [with] energetic digital renderings [by Hatem Aly]." —Publishers Weekly
"This hilarious picture book . . . has a surprise twist that shows the younger sister is just as adept at wordplay as her older sibling. This is such a funny read-aloud . . . A great addition." —Book Riot
School Library Journal
★ 05/24/2024
K-Gr 3—Creativity, imagination, and humor run wild in this story of a young protagonist thwarted by his younger sister. Despite his every effort to write a story filled with knights and treasure, she barges in, spoiling his perfect rhymes at each page turn, and pitching the story in one silly direction after the other. Frustrated at first to be sent into outer space, dropped onto a ship full of dancing pirates, and attacked by a fire-breathing armadillo, he begins to realize her contributions actually do have a rhyme and reason. In an if-you-can't-beat-them-join-them turn, he rolls with her creativity, and they embark together on a new adventure. This is clearly Interrupting Chicken meets Harold and the Purple Crayon. Aly's illustrations are vibrant and full of the action and energy relayed in the text. VERDICT Funny and wildly unpredictable, this will be a read-aloud hit. Recommended for all picture book collections.—Jennifer Noonan
Kirkus Reviews
2023-12-06
A little sister adds a unique spin to her brother’s story.
A boy who’s proud of his rhyming prowess has written a book in verse. As he recounts his story, his younger sib repeatedly butts in and completes each stanza with her own peculiar, non-rhyming twists that take his masterpiece in riotous directions. Readers will mostly figure out what the brother’s “real” rhyming word should be in almost every interrupted instance throughout, courtesy of the author’s strong hints (for instance, cutting off part of the intended word with hyphens). Thereafter, the author assumes missing rhyming words are obvious enough that further hints are unnecessary, though picture clues help. For example, little sis chimes in with “his pocket” when “book” is clearly intended, and so on for the duration of this clever, humorous exercise in poetry appreciation, wordplay, and vocabulary development. The brother complains that his sibling’s spoiled his rhyme scheme, but when he takes a closer look at her additions, he realizes there was a method to her madness. All’s forgiven, and the brother acknowledges she’s a “rhyming prodigy.” Readers will appreciate these rollicking rhymes and laugh at the sister’s out-there ideas. The comical digital illustrations will elicit chuckles. The boy’s dialogue is set in blue type, while the sister’s is in red and emphatically boldfaced. The brother is tan-skinned; his sister is brown-skinned.
Readers will have a fine time with these rhymes and certainly won’t be averse to the verse. (Picture book. 5-8)
