ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
PRESCHOOL
Reul, Sarah Lynne

Nerp!

32 pp. | Sterling | March, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-4549-3402-8 $16.95
(2) PS Who would want to eat "yuckaroni smackintosh" or "garble snarfy barfle­crunch"? Certainly not this book's protagonist, a wide-eyed, green-skinned, toddler-sized monster. The story of picky-eater Baby's transformation is told entirely through nonsense-word dialogue ("'Erp?' 'NERP'"), which is easy to figure out in context and lots of fun to say: "Frizzle frazzle hotchy potch!" The monster's parents become increasingly desperate for their little one to eat, placing dish after dish in front of the child. But Baby's tastes are low-brow--and its culinary sights set closer to the floor. Reul cleverly foreshadows the problem's solution from the start, with the book jacket and title page showing the family pet (which looks like a baby-dragon-meets-anteater) recoiling from its food. The illustrations--"digital drawings over photographs of cardboard models"--have dimension and humor; everything takes place in the same room, allowing viewers to better acclimate to the weird-looking creatures and unfamiliar "language." This entertaining book may not similarly convert human picky eaters, but at least they're not being offered "skizzle klumps n' gizzardlumps."
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

RELATED 

PRESCHOOL

The Farmer and the Circus
by Frazee, Marla
PRESCHOOL

Bird House
by Gómez, Blanca
PRESCHOOL

The Crow and the Peacock
by Fernihough, Jo
PRESCHOOL

Something's Wrong!
by John, Jory
PRESCHOOL

Grandpa Across the Ocean
by Yum, Hyewon
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?