Illustrated by Marla Frazee| Abstract: | Friends James and Eamon enjoy a wonderful week at the home of Eamon's grandparents during summer vacation. |
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Harcourt 2008
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11 years ago
15 comments:
I loved the story "A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever" and the illustrations are cute but I just don't think the illustrations can tell the story without the words. I'm really sad to say this about the illustations because they are so well done. It even has fantastic end pages and I love the end of the story.
While I can't say that I love this book, I don't think you should discount it based on the illustrations telling the story. The boys were really about spending time together and that was brought across brilliantly in the illustrations.
Everything about this book feels happy. Is it weird to call the illustrations "exuberant"?? That is the word that I want to use. I think that the illustrations did tell the story, in the same way that snapshots tell the story of a family vacation.
What's more, this felt like a book that the boys would have put together...the funny little details and the comicbook-esque (another madeup word!) feel.
I did not particularly like this book, however, I did like the illustrations. When you look at the illustrations of the book it is like you are looking at the pictures of a family vacation but in cartoon form.
I loved A Couple of boys..." because the story tells shows how adults structures for kid entertainment fail, and how if kids are left to create and explore, they create memorable moments....and the illustrations show that wonderfully and truthfully.
Andrea
I loved the illustrations in this book. They were whimsical in a way and simple yet easy to study for hours. They made me long for summer.
I would love to use this book during one of the first days of school and have the students write about their crazy - or not so crazy- summer vacations.
I think the illustrations may not have literally told the story, but told another story. The text and the pictures don't always agree with each other and so it invited the kids to find the hidden meanings and the cute sarcasm that is hidden between the text and the illustrations. I loved it.
I attended a Mock Caldecott discussion today. We focused on the artistic aspects of about a dozen books. "A Couple of Boys... " was one of the books. After reading the book again I saw how the details of the illustrations and Frazee's illustration style, compliment the story and portray humor. I think there is an excellent balance of small pictures, speech bubbles, large pictures, and an employment of artistic elements that make this book distinct and absolutely delightful. Frazee's use of line and color are exceptional. I have to admit, this is one of my favorite picture books of 2008. May I say more...
The pictures in this book do an amazing job in bringing this book to life. The pictures are vivid and very life-like. You can see the movement in every picture. I don't, however, believe that the pictures could stand alone and tell the story. While the pictures are amazing, they need the story.
The illustrations in this book give a cartoon feel to the reader. The story is funny and relatable. I found myself laughing out loud while reading the comments of the characters.
I can only imagine the smiles of students and their endless comments as a teacher would read this story. It would be fun for a teacher to allow students to make up their own comics to show what they did during their summer or maybe what they would have liked to do.
The best part of this book is the illustrations—the children are drawn adorably. The plot, however, is a bit of a let down. It’s not a bad story—the author just could have done a lot more with the subjects. Supposedly the boys are at nature camp and they do have fun, but they never do anything that out of the ordinary. I suppose it can teach young kids that there is fun to be had all around them, but it doesn’t provide the pleasurable escape into a world of adventure that it easily could. The book also should not be used for smaller readers, simply because they would not understand many of the subtle sarcasms and ironies that make older readers laugh out loud. I want to love this book, but I can’t help but feel let down. The book could be used as a prompt for imaginative writing about adventures my students have had, but since there are so many other, more exciting, books out there, I would probably find another.
I'm not sure that these pictures could stand alone to tell the story. The fun is that some of the pictures could be made into a flip book. They were extremely fun and the series of events that they represent are enchanting.
I really like the end of this story. The boys and their penguins are hilariously creative. This story is drenched in sarcasm that can be brought out at to students. This is definitely a story that students can enjoy and laugh. This story makes me long for the beach and coast line with it's gorgeous sun sets and sunrises.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the story was cute, and the illustrations made it even more endearing. The illustrations were just so fun and carefree. They really complemented the free-spirited feeling of the boys' summer. I think they just embody the spirit of crazy, silly fun.
I read A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Every by Marla Frazee to first graders yesterday. They loved it and understood the humor - especially the snap shots of the day camp on the end pages.
Andrea
I read A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Every by Marla Frazee to first graders yesterday. They loved it and understood the humor - especially the snap shots of the day camp on the end pages.
Andrea
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