The Imaginoodles
-
- $10.99
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
While on a playdate with an outgoing new friend, a nervous hedgehog finds the courage to use his imagination, in this lively, funny picture book by the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Ordinary People Change the World.
It doesn’t take much for Henry, an introverted young hedgehog, to roll up into a tight ball of anxiety. And now he’s on a nerve-wracking playdate with a new neighbor, a very energetic chipmunk named Chester. Chester wants to go on all kinds of imagined adventures in the backyard, but Henry much prefers the safety of experiencing adventure in the pages of a book. What’s more, he’s afraid that if he expresses his own creative ideas Chester will think he’s silly and uncool. But with the help of a “magic” stick, a lizard who knows she’s actually a dragon, and the encouragement of rambunctious Chester, Henry just might find his bravery and save the playdate!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Anthropomorphized hedgehog Henry retreats into a protective ball when overwhelmed, prefers to read about adventures than to have them, and really doesn't want to meet the new kid next door ("He's probably going to think I'm the biggest dork on earth"). And Henry's fears seem justified when the neighbor, headstrong chipmunk Chester, insists on rambunctious pretend play ("This mound of dirt is a volcano ready to EXPLODE!"). After the hedgehog, having reality-checked a number of Chester's imagined scenarios (about the Sleeping Mountains—"These are just little rocks"), finally confesses to a fear of being judged, Chester isn't having it: "Imagination isn't about being ‘cool.' It's about being silly and not caring what anyone else thinks." So Henry gives it a tentative whirl—and comes up with an "amazing" voracious sock monster who wants to eat Chester, necessitating a brilliant rescue. If Chester's steamroller antics initially come on strong, all-dialogue text from Eliopoulos (The Yawns Are Coming!) is funny and knowing, the comics-style action moves at a fast clip, and Henry seems genuinely pleased to discover his place among the most exuberant of pretenders. Ages 4–8.
