Max Explains Everything (Stacy McAnulty)

Max Explains Everything is a budding series by author Stacy McAnulty and illustrator Deborah Hocking. Two books have been published so far:  Max Explains Everything: Grocery Story Expert and Max Explains Everything: Soccer Expert.  There is a lot to love about this character and series.

Max is confident.  From the grocery story to the soccer field,  he considers himself an expert.  He illustrates that confidence can come from participation and enthusiasm in everyday experiences. 

Connect his experiences to similar ones children in your home or classroom have had.  Then, allow kids to create their own “expert” stories based on their similar or different events. 

Max is funny.  His boisterous personality is sure to make kids laugh—whether he is hiding to avoid going to the store, faking an injury, or trying to convince his mother to buy something.  Most of the laughs come from hyperbole and irony.  For example, the grocery store has 8000 aisles, and his shin guards are “battle armor on [his] legs”  (hyperbole).   Max “helps out” the soccer team by getting rid of distractions like dandelions.  In reality, he is laying in the middle of the field blowing on one as the ball wizzes past.  In Grocery Store Expert, he informs his audience that “everything tastes better when served on a toothpick.”  However, his face and body language tell a different tale as he is being offered a sushi sample! 

Define (or review) and discuss examples of hyperbole and irony in the stories.   Talk about why the author used these literary tools. 

Max is optimistic.  Even when he does not get his way, he stays positive.  For instance, him mom decides to buy two boxes of Whole Wheat Healthy Oats—instead of one of his preferred cereals.  No worries.  He remains hopeful he will get his favorite treat (cookies).   She denies that request too, but eventually he sneaks in a candy bar.  In Soccer Expert, Max is more interested in interacting with people and nature than playing the game.  As a result, he misses multiple chances to kick the ball.  As he says goodbye to his coach and team mates, he says, “Can’t wait to kick the ball again next week.” 

Point out how being optimistic—even when things didn’t go as he planned—gave him confidence and created a positive atmosphere.  Discuss ways to stay positive in disappointing or difficult circumstances.

Max is creative and imaginative.  In Soccer Expert, his mom wants to take his picture—kicking the ball.  Max has a different idea.  He poses smiling (as someone kicks the ball behind him). He gives a “serious” look (as a teammate heads the ball).  His “team” picture is of him showing jazz hands as the rest of the team is in the distance playing.  In Grocery Store Expert, he uses his imagination to attempt to convince his mom to buy something from the bakery.  He tells her it is Llama Appreciate Day, so they need a cake, and Boys Named Max Day, so they need donuts.  Then, he tries to trick her by saying it is Opposite Day, so they must get cupcakes. 

Encourage children to imaginatively respond to a situation—from the book or their own experience.  They can act it out, draw it, or describe it. 

Hocking’s gouache and colored pencil drawings are a delight!  Max’s exuberant personality spills off the pages.  Shifting perspectives add to the text and characterization.  For instance, an exaggerated wall of cereal illustrates the daunting tasking of picking the “right one” because the “fate of breakfast” is at stake.  In a later scene, only the top of his head is shown as he peeks at the various delicious baked goods.  This sheepish appearance is an attempt to convince his mom to buy one of the treats.  Parallel experiences are also shown.  As the rest of the team runs in a single file line warming up, Max stretches, twirls, and somersaults his way into preparation for the big game. 

McAnulty and Hocking have created an endearing and hilarious character that youngsters are sure to connect with.  Check this books out!

Max, kid-expert extraordinaire, will be back in 2020 with Max Explains Everything: Puppy Expert.

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Can't Catch Me (Timothy Knapman)

Title:  Can’t Catch Me!

Author:  Timothy Knapman

Illustrator:   Simona Ciraolo

Target Ages:  3-7

Genre:  Picture Book

Awards:

Publisher Summary: 

“I’m the fastest mouse in the world!”

Jake claims.  “I’m like the wind!

I’m faster than lightening!”

But will speed alone keep boastful

Jake from being caught by a cat,

a fox, a wolf, or a bear?

First Lines:

Here’s Jake,

the fastest mouse in the world.

OH, NO – he’s gone!

Quick!  After him!

Memorable Moment:

No spoilers on this one!  The ending is clever and memorable. 

Evaluation:

This mischievous cumulative tale is reminiscent of The Gingerbread Man. Despite the similarities in the narratives, Can’t Catch Me has its own personality and twist. 

In this version, Jake the mouse takes on the role of the gingerbread man.   Jake boastfully taunts his predators.  He proves to be faster than the Old Tom Cat, the fox, the wolf, and the bear.  However, he is not as sly as the cat.  His arrogance blinds him to danger, which is a valuable lesson for all ages.

The pencil and watercolor illustrations capture the animation and energy of the mouse as well as the toil and frustration of the predatory animals.  The muted colors minimal backgrounds keep the focus on the action and characterization.

All in all, Can’t Catch Me is a cheeky, entertaining read!  It is one of those books kids will want to hear again and again.

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Predicting Skills:  Before you read, ask the children to guess what the book is about.  As you read, allow them to guess what will happen in each encounter and how they think the book will end.
• Comparative Literature:  Read both Can’t Catch Me and a version of The Gingerbread Man.  Compare and contrast the two stories using a Venn diagram or other graphic organizer.
• Characterization:  Discuss the characters of Jake and Old Tom Cat.  For instance, Old Tom Cat is dramatic.  He acts like he is starving.  As he sits watching the mouse, he is getting “thinner and thinner.”  He later uses this hyperbolic language to trick Jake. 
• Science:  Discuss how animals have different defense mechanisms.  For example, the mouse is fast so he can outrun larger animals while cats are cunning and patient so they can sneak up on fast prey. 
• Choral Reading:  Children can be prompted to read along on repetitive parts like when each predator “runs and runs,” and Jake chants multiple times  "can’t catch me” and “I’m the fastest mouse in the world.”    

For more great suggestions, head over for the Perfect Picture Book Link Up.

African American Tall Tales

John Henry

Julius Lester, author

Jerry Pinkney, illustrator

Birds, bears, panthers, and even a unicorn come out of the woods when John Henry is born.  Within moments of his arrival, John jumps out of his mother’s arms and grows taller than the roof!  The next morning he gets up and chops an acre of trees down.  As John ventures out west, he single-handedly crushes gigantic boulders and digs through a mountain!  There are many versions of this tale, but Lester’s stands out for its humorous personification, colorful hyperbole, and engaging storytelling.

Roy Makes a Car

Mary E. Lyons, author

Terry Widener, illustrator

Roy Tyle has a way with automobiles.  People say he “can grease an axle faster than you can say 'carburetor,' and he can clean spark plugs just by looking at them hard." Roy believes there is a fatal flaw in the factory cars—they can get into accidents.  So, he takes his talents to the next level—building his own car. After spending an hour in his garage, he comes out with one that is “accident proof.” In test after test, his car avoids cars and trucks by sliding over or under them.  He doesn’t stop there though…he builds a another car that goes so far as to impress God, himself!

Big Jabe

Jerdine Nolen, author

Kadir Nelson, illustrator

From the moment Big Jabe shows up as a small boy floating in a basket down the river, he uses his extraordinary abilities to help the slaves on the Plenty Plantation.  When the fish aren’t biting, he commands them to jump from the river and into the wagon.  When works needs to be done, he is able to single-handedly complete it—allowing the others some much-deserved rest.  Even the plants and animals change in remarkable ways when he is present.  When slaves begin to disappear without a trace, some wonder if Jabe is the one rescuing them.

Thunder Rose

Jerdine Nolen, author
Kadir Nelson, illustrator

On a summer night during a fierce thunderstorm, a lively baby is born.  Rather than cry out while taking her first breath of life, she sits up and takes hold of the lightning and thunder.  Then, she tells her parents she is partial to the name Rose, so they call her Thunder Rose.  Full of spunk, determination, and confidence, Thunder Rose accomplishes everything she sets out to do.  She amazes her parents by drinking her milk while holding up a cow, creating objects with scrap metal, staking a fence without assistance, and building a sky scraper—all before the age of ten! These thrilling feats are just the beginning of her story!

Peggony-Po: A Whale of a Tale

Andrea Davis Pinkney, author
Brian Pinkney, illustrator

Feisty as a kettle of just-caught fish, Peggony-Po is able to climb a look out mast and catch whales on the high seas—all before the age of 4!  There is just one whale that eludes even that most skilled sailor’s grasp—Cetus!  Peggony-Po is determined to catch that whale—known for wrecking havoc for sailors and, even, land folk.  The young boy ventures off in search of Cetus without even bothering to take a boat!  This high seas adventures, full of astonishing acts and vivid similes, celebrates the many brave African American sailors who worked side by side as equals with white sailors on whaling ships in a time of great inequality.

Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans (Phil Bildner)

Title: Marvelous Cornelius:  Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans

Author:  Phil Bildner

Illustrator:  John Parra

Target Ages:  5 and up

Genre:  Semi-Biographical Folk Tale

Awards:  A full list of Awards and Honors

Publisher Summary:

In New Orleans,

there lived a man who saw the streets

as his calling,

and he swept them clean. 

He danced up one avenue and down another

and everyone danced along—

The old ladies whistled and whirled. 

The old men hooted and hollered.

The barbers, bead twirlers, and beignet

bakers bounded behind that one-man parade.

But then came the rising Mississippi—

and a storm bigger than anyone had

seen before. 

This is the inspiring story of a humble man, and the heroic difference he made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. 

First Lines:

In the Quarter,

there worked a man

known in New Orleans as Marvelous Cornelius.

“Mornin’.” He saluted the silver haired man with the

Times-Picayune tucked under his arm.

“Greetings.” He waved to the couple

with the baby on the balcony.

“Ma’am.” He nodded to the woman

shaking rugs out at her front window.

Memorable Lines:

Cornelius rose.

He dried his eyes. 

For his spirit and will were waterproof.

Inspirational Quote:  

“Even if it’s called your lot to be a street sweeper, go out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry.  Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, “Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.” –Martin Luther King Jr.

Evaluation:

There are several things about this semi-biographical picture book that stand out.  I love that the main character is a garbage man, which is a job rarely acknowledged, much less celebrated.  Instead, it is often derided for its unsavoriness.  I appreciate the author acknowledging such an underappreciated, yet vital occupation.

He incorporates sound words, like “bang” and “whizzing,” and rhythmic lines, like “behind his back/between his legs/into the truck.” Repetitive phrases are used like “washed away” and “bag after bag” to build momentum.  Alliteration and rhyme add to the lyrical rhythm as well with lines, such as “tango-ing up Toulouse, Samba-ing down St. Peter. Rumba-ing up Royal.” Together, these elements create an exciting read-a-loud experience. 

John Parra textured paintings are full of rich colors and animated action.  Young readers gain a glimpse of the architecture and character of the city.

Even though the subject was a real person, the author takes artistic liberties with his story.  Cornelius did have calls for his driver, but in the story they have more rhythm and flair: “Woo! Woo! Woooooo!” “Hootie Hoo! Hootie Hooooo!”  “Rat-a-tat-TaT!”  Also, Cornelius was a showman, but Bildner uses hyperbole to accent this trait.  For instance, he “front flipped to the curb and flung the bags over his head”  Eventually, they land in “a perfect pyramid inside the hopper’s mental mouth.” To emphasize the vibrant life of the New Orleans community, the people are dancing, playing instruments, and hollering right along with Cornelius.   

Hyperbole and figurative elements are also used to describe the storm that creates “a gumbo of mush and mud.”  The trash and ruins are depicted as being “high as the steeple stop St. Louis Cathedral,” and he laments it will take “millions” of people to clean up.  Each reference drives home the destruction of the storm.   

This memorable modern folk tale celebrates an ordinary man doing his part to make his community an extraordinary better place.  It is a beautiful illustration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s inspiring words to do your job—no matter who lowly by society’s standards—with the gusto of a great artist.  

I highly recommend Marvelous Cornelius:  Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans.

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Literature:  Read examples of traditional folk tales.  Identify the characteristics of these tales.  What elements of Cornelius’ story line up with these characteristics?
• Writing:  Use this book as a mentor text for creating a folk tale.  Students can identify someone who does an important, but undervalued job in the community.  Using hyperbole, alliteration, and repetition, embellish and elevate the person’s contribution. 
• Sounds:  For younger children, help them practice identifying the words with the same beginning sounds. Brainstorm additional words with the same sound.  For older children, teach about alliteration.  Allow them to practice writing their own alliterative lines. 
• History:  Gather some newspaper articles about Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath.  Discuss the impact of the natural disaster on the community.
• Science:  Read about hurricanes.  Identify the difference between a hurricane and a tornado.
• Comparison:  Look up some of the sources on the real Cornelius.  Compare what the articles reveal about his character to the story elements.  Which are real?  Which are fictionalized?
• Social Studies:  Discuss the important role that trash collectors have on the community.  Brainstorm what would happen if all of them went on strike, and there was no one to remove trash from our neighborhoods and businesses.
• Community Service:  Identify ways to give back to the community.  As a group, pick up trash around the school grounds, neighborhood, or other public area.  Show your trash collectors some appreciation by bringing out a small gift when they come around like a cold drink or gift card to a coffee shop. 
• Figurative Language:  Identify examples of hyperbole. Create hyperbolic statements together or independently.  For older children discuss the purpose and role of hyperbole in literature.

Historical Connections:
Hurricane Katrina

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The Legend of Rock, Paper, and Scissors (by Drew Daywalt)

Title:  The Legend of Rock, Paper, and Scissors

Author:  Drew Daywalt

Illustrator:  Adam Rex

Target Ages: 5-10

Genre:  Picture Book Fiction

Publisher Summary:

I hope you’re wearing your

battle pants! 

You’ve played the game. 

Now read the legend of the three great warriors

who started it all…

Rock

Paper

Scissors!

First Lines:  Long ago, in an ancient and distant realm called the Kingdom of Backyard, there lived a warrior named Rock.  Rock was the strongest in all the land, but he was sad because no one could give him a worthy challenge. 

Evaluation: 

The Legend of Rock, Paper, and Scissors is an imaginative origin story.  All three “warriors” love competition, but lack a worthy opponent.   When they all converse in “the great cavern of the Two-Car Garage,” they finally meet their matches.  Rather than feeling anger at being beaten, they each enjoy the challenge of their “epic three-way battle” again and again. 

The story is a mini-mock epic (a form of satire), meaning it takes a trivial subject and elevates it to the heroic stature similar to the real epics of Homer and Virgil.  For instance, the backyard by the tree is “the mysterious Forest of Over by the Tire Swing,” and Scissors lives in “the Kitchen Realm in the tiny village of Junk Drawer.”  Even the descriptions of these everyday objects are elevated.  Paper is “a great warrior” who seeks “the glory of battle.”  Later, Rock calls him “Great Knight of Paper.”  Their whole quest is elevated so as to be worthy of a game played around the world “in backyards, on playgrounds, and yes, even in classrooms” in order to honor the great warriors.

Figurative elements add to the humor.  When Paper meets the Bag of Trail Mix, his adversary refers to him hyperbolically as a “foul wizard” who has “blotted out the sun.”  After Rock wins his set of battles, he asks the others, “Are you not entertained?” (an allusion to my favorite movie Gladiator.)  There are creative plays on words like “the frigid wastes of Refrigerator/Freezer.”  The tape threatens to win the battle with his “adhesive and tangling powers.”  

Competition and challenges are depicted in a positive way.  They are shown as vital to the characters’ existence.  Without a genuine challenge, they feel a sense of meaninglessness.  In a world where everyone wins a trophy for existing, this message is refreshing.  Finding people and situations that prompt us to work harder and to compete fairly are good for the soul.  They make us better people.  Of course, there is the flip side of bad sportsmanship and unhealthy competition.  This book can be a conversation starter on these issues. 

The expressive fonts and bold colors add to the wacky energy and humorous exploits of the plot.  Illustrator Adam Rex creates memorable action-packed battle scenes between the main characters and other inanimate objects like dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, a tangy apricot, and a desktop printer.  This surreal adventure demands to be read out loud with flair and melodrama.

Author Drew Daywalt elevates a common children’s game by giving it an epic origin story rivaling the likes of Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid.  Well, not quite that epic.  Putting all hyperbole aside, in picture book terms— The Legend of Rock, Paper, and Scissors is definitely the gold standard of humor, imagination, and entertainment.

Ideas for Extension Activities at Home or Lesson Plans for Teachers:

• Literature:  Use as a springboard to teach about origin stories in myths and folktales.   Discuss what makes an entertaining origin story and their importance in literature/society.
• Character:  Compare healthy vs. unhealthy competition.
• Writing:  Students can pick a game, tradition, or object and write an origin story for it.
• Reading:  Read the children’s version of a classic epic, like the Iliad, Odyssey, Gilgamesh, or Aeneid.  There are many excellence ones with pictures, which is helpful in building a foundational understanding of the stories before tackling them in middle or high school.
• Math:  Practice predicting and graphing probability.  Here is a possible lesson idea.