Danny McGee Drinks the Sea

Author: Stanton, Andy

Color: Multicolor

Edition: Illustrated

Format: Picture Book

Number Of Pages: 32

Details:

An utterly hilarious Seussian picture book—with a surprise ending—about a mischievous little boy who gobbles up everything in the whole entire world, except for one very important thing. . . .   When Danny McGee, much to his big sister Frannie's surprise, drinks up the sea with a giant straw, it turns out he's just getting started. Soon nothing is safe from getting swallowed whole by Danny McGee—not the mountains, not the trees, not even the weather girl on TV! He eats up America and all the people in the whole world (including the author, who is writing this book from inside Danny McGee!). Danny swallows the alphabet and all the numbers, until there is absolutely nothing left . . . except, of course, his big sister, Frannie McGee. Absurdist humor throughout, along with a delicious twist at the end, will have kids laughing uncontrollably at this one-of-a-kind picture book.   Praise for the work of illustrator Neal Layton: "Layton's playful mixed-media illustrations evoke Ludwig Bemelmans and John Burningham. They're fresh and funny, providing plenty to pore over."

— Kirkus Reviews  

"[This] whimsical tale is given ample comic dimension by Neal's zany and inventive mixed-media illustrations."

— Publishers Weekly

From School Library Journal PreS-Gr 1—On a trip to the beach, Danny McGee declares that he can drink the whole sea. His sister Frannie tells him to prove it, and so starts a bold new take on "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." Stanton's writing has a childlike exuberance, racing away at a fast clip as the gluttonous boy gulps down the sea and swallows a tree, a bird, and a bee. And a TV. And the author himself, depicted as a photograph rather than an illustration. The story is very funny when read aloud with enthusiasm, and children will be in absolute fits by the surprise twist at the end. Even more impressive, though, is how Stanton maintains a single-sound rhyme throughout (with the exception of the concluding line). Given this constraint, it is not surprising that he resorts to inventing a word. However, in a humorous nod, he acknowledges his readers' intelligence ("And I know you think there's no such thing as a swee") before proceeding to define the made-up term. Layton's scrawly naive style is a perfect complement to this crazy tale and its show-off protagonist. Placement of the images, and the words that dance around them, fits the overall presentation and will assist any who try to read the title. VERDICT A riotous rhyming book that just begs to be read aloud in a storytime setting.—Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ont.

About the Author:

Andy Stanton studied English at Oxford, but they kicked him out. Oh, well. He is the author of the multi-award-winning Mr. Gum books, which have sold over 1.5 million copies and have been translated into over twenty languages, so he must be doing something right. One of his books, Mr. Gum and the Dancing Bear, won the inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Andy lives in north London.   Neal Layton is an award-winning illustrator of over forty children's books, including Oscar and Arabella, which he also wrote, and That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell, winner of the Smarties Gold Award in the UK. Neal has worked in a chocolate factory, in a teapot factory, and on a lettuce farm. He now lives in Portsmouth on the English coast with his family. He likes living by the seaside. Learn more at neallayton.co.uk, or follow him on Twitter @LaytonNeal....

EAN: 9781524717360

Release Date: 02-05-2017

Languages: English

Item Condition: New

Binding: Hardcover