Why?
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
This sweet book will appeal to anyone familiar with the universal tendency of young children to always ask WHY? When supervillain Doctor X-Ray swoops in threatening to vanquish an innocent crowd, the only one brave enough not to run away is a little girl, who asks him simply, "Why?" He is taken aback—but he answers. She keeps asking. And he keeps answering—until a surprising truth is uncovered, and the villain is thwarted. In this laugh-out-loud take on the small-and-determined-beats-big-loud-bully story, simple questions lead to profound answers in a quest that proves the ultimate power of curiosity.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Part origin story, part therapy session, this high-voltage comedy by Rex (Nothing Rhymes with Orange) pits a supervillain against an inquisitive child. Doctor X-Ray, wearing a lab coat and rocket boots, crashes through the glass atrium of an upscale mall. "Go ahead and run, puny fools!" he taunts. "No one can withstand the power of Doctor X-Ray!" The mall empties all except for a wide-eyed girl with black pigtails, a stuffed animal, and a red polka-dotted dress. "Why?" she asks, as small children will. Her repetitive query works on Doctor X-Ray like a psychiatrist's prompts, and his plans and disappointments come tumbling out, each answer leading to another "Why?" Black-outlined speech balloons give the spreads a comic-book vibe as stylish art by Keane (Love Is) cut between the two roaming the deserted mall and faded flashbacks to Doctor X-Ray's tortured boyhood ("I put my heart and soul into that yarn store"). At last, exhausted, Doctor X-Ray has a moment of insight: "Look at me I don't even rule myself." Though the self-analysis sequence is a bit drawn-out, the visual energy and satisfaction of each page's awaiting answer keep this cinema-style romp hurtling forward. Ages 3 5.
