Me First Hardcover – May 15, 2014

Description

From School Library Journal K-Gr 2—Hal and his younger sister Martha are constantly trying to outdo each other. They squabble over who will be the first to pack their bags for a picnic, jump in the river, and build the highest rock tower. But the siblings change their ways after taking a new path home filled with many unpleasant "firsts " that force them to help each other rather than compete. Set in the countryside with rolling green hills and brown cottages, the donkey characters dress in human clothing. The old-fashioned illustrations are appropriate for this fable-like tale. It takes place over the course of a single day, and the artwork helps readers transition from the sunny summer morning to the shady twilight of evening. The full-page paintings alternate with smaller ones set against ample white space providing visual variety. The composition and line work of the acrylic ink is excellent, and the straightforward text is a combination of narrative and dialogue with the occasional use of speech bubbles that serves the sequential story well. The large trim size, boldly outlined illustrations, and easily readable text make this a good choice for group sharing. This story of sibling rivalry will have broad appeal, especially for parents looking to emphasize the importance of teamwork.—Amy Seto Musser, Denver Public Library Read more From Booklist Little donkeys Hal and Martha quarrel the way that older brothers and younger sisters do. They happily argue about everything and never miss an opportunity to turn any circumstance into a competition. One afternoon, the family heads out for a picnic lunch, and Hal and Martha decide to follow a new path home through the woods. Along the way, they one-up each other until Martha goes a step too far and tumbles into a creek bed. The pair joins forces to get her out and return home safe, sound, and a little wiser. The playful figures brim with personality as they argue and cavort in a setting of lush, full-bleed, earth-tone landscapes, all of it captured in Kornell’s jaunty, saturated ink drawings. With a tender story and appealing aesthetic, this outing will easily win over storytime audiences. Preschool-Grade 2. --Thom Barthelmess Read more Review “Kornell looks at how cutthroat competition and bragging rights can define a sibling relationship, using the same quiet incisiveness and narrative restraint that made his debut, Bear with Me, so impressive. . . . Unlike many fictional younger sisters, Martha is no needy shrinking violet. . . . Emphatic ink lines and rich earth tones make this book particularly handsome and underscore the intensity of the protagonists’ deep-seated, single-minded drive to triumph—first independently, and then together.” — Publishers Weekly“A gloriously bucolic setting, as evocative as a woodblock print burnished with the light of sunset. . . . If it teaches just one reader not to need to always go one better, it’s brought peace to one small sliver of Earth. As soothing on the eyes as it is, potentially, on the nerves.” — Kirkus Reviews“Kornell’s acrylic ink drawings burst with color. Martha, Hal, and their parents are depicted as very expressive donkeys; William Steig’s Sylvester and his folks are a good comparison. The messages here about sibling rivalry come minus any heavy-handedness.” — The Horn Book“The old-fashioned illustrations are appropriate for this fable-like tale. . . . The composition and line work of the acrylic ink is excellent. . . . This story of sibling rivalry will have broad appeal, especially for parents looking to emphasize the importance of teamwork.” — School Library Journal“Hal and Martha quarrel the way that older brothers and younger sisters do. . . . The playful figures brim with personality as they argue and cavort in a setting of lush, full-bleed, earth-tone landscapes, all of it captured in Kornell’s jaunty, saturated ink drawings. With a tender story and appealing aesthetic, this outing will easily win over storytime audiences.” — Booklist"A refreshing twist on the typical sibling-rivalry plot that works to good effect; the shift between the sibs is largely inferred, but it is this quiet transformation that lends meaning. The story’s warmth is effectively balanced by the illustrations’ acrylic washes. . . . This may prove just the story for approaching the topic of sibling competition in a family, but it will draw plenty of viewers for its balance of humor and poignancy alone." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books“Sibling rivalry is alive and well in this book.” — Library Media Connection Read more About the Author Max Kornell (www.maxkornell.com) also wrote and illustrated Bear With Me, winner of the Southern California Independent Booksellers Award. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, his drawings have appeared in newspapers, magazines, advertisements, and on birthday and thank-you cards to his friends and family. In addition to writing and drawing, he also teaches at a progressive elementary school in Santa Monica. He lives with his wife and four children in Los Angeles. Read more