Arrowville (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards))($18.98Value)

Description

Beyond the Arrow Mountains, where winds blow bitter chill, across the Arrow Ocean lies a town called Arrowville, where every pointed person had a pointed point of view, and every point in Arrowville was always just askew. In Arrowville, the arrows argue all day long, except for an agreeable girl named Barb. When Barb runs away from home, she encounters a family of targets vacationing in Arrowville. The Targets become the target of mistrust, leading to a clamorous climax of chaos and confusion, but in the end Barb and the Targets convince the town that there are certain ideas upon which everyone can agree. Animator and first-time author Geefwee Boedoe makes his debut with a sly and delicious comedy of errors, featuring lollypops and something even sweeter -- friendship. Gr. 1-4. Arrowville is a disputatious metropolis where "every pointed person had a pointed point of view," and Barb is a misfit who hates the constant conflict and runs away. While in hiding she meets the Targets, red-and-white tourists whose natures are as sweet as the peppermint lollipops they share with the miserable Barb. Meanwhile a "frenzied Arrow mob" takes to the streets, assuming that the intruders are responsible for Barb's disappearance. Professional animator Boedoe's bleak, teetering Arrowville is replete with slyly comic details, from a billboard that touts a spray product called Snide to the arrows bristling from every feature of the landscape. Unfortunately the faltering, singsong verse fails to hit the bull's-eye, the rich possibilities of the arrow-target metaphor are never fully realized, and Arrowville's concluding offer to build "a place just for the Targets. / A place that's fine and sweet" seems a rather regressive gesture of tolerance. But Boedoe's striking representation of simmering paranoia will earn admirers across all age groups, and the accessible format should prove useful for sparking discussion in character education programs. Jennifer Mattson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Geefwee Boedoe is an animator and illustrator who has created art for many Pixar movies, including "Monsters Inc". He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and young daughter. This is his first picture book.