The Horn Book Guide

PRESCHOOL

McDonnell, Patrick

A Perfectly Messed-Up Story

40 pp. | Little | October, 2014 | Trade ISBN 978-0-316-22258-7 $17.00

(2) PS Cartoony Louie's "perfect story" begins with a scene as banal and unsullied as it gets...until the page turn. Louie's panicked speech balloons interrupt the narrator as realistic-looking blobs of jelly and peanut butter, fingerprints, and orange-juice splatter derail his tale. Eventually Louie is able to see past the unexpected to what really matters. This well-paced story is messed up perfectly--spills and all.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014