The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Roberts, Justin

The Great Henry Hopendower

32 pp. | Putnam | June, 2017 | Trade ISBN 978-0-399-25744-5 $16.99

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Deborah Hocking. Magician-to-be Henry awakes one morning determined to conjure the magic Grandpa always said "is everywhere." Before his loyal audience (toys, pet cat, backyard critters), Henry recites Grandpa's incantation and finds his own kind of magic with his mom. Throughout the nostalgic story, as Henry reminisces (perhaps too subtly and un-kidlike) about his loving grandfather, Hocking's mixed-media art shifts from colorful to sepia-toned.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges