storyreader45's review
5.0
This is a good read for anybody who is learning a new language or moved to a different country as a kid or even now. It's really cute and the visuals are amazing and I think describe what it's like to hear a language you don't know and are starting to learn.
jessiek04's review
5.0
I really loved this picture book, and I particularly enjoyed how the illustrations morphed as Dat began to understand "gibberish." :)
calistareads's review
5.0
I'm going through this year's Caldecott books and this was on the Mock Caldecott list. It is way better than Hot Dog which is the book that won the award. This book is mighty! I can't believe the simple device used and how effective it was. This book is enchanting and so brilliant. I LOVE IT!
Dat came from another place so he doesn't understand the language going to school. Dat is in color and everything else is gray and all the people look like some sort of monster. It's surreal and so brilliant. Dat gets so frustrated not being able to understand, but one girl breaks through to him.
Please read this story. It's an amazing short story. So much is conveyed in these short pages. This is a work of art. This is my pick for the Caldecott Award so far.
Dat came from another place so he doesn't understand the language going to school. Dat is in color and everything else is gray and all the people look like some sort of monster. It's surreal and so brilliant. Dat gets so frustrated not being able to understand, but one girl breaks through to him.
Please read this story. It's an amazing short story. So much is conveyed in these short pages. This is a work of art. This is my pick for the Caldecott Award so far.
msgabbythelibrarian's review
2.0
I wanted to like it. But the illustration style absolutely positively threw me off.
BUT tackling the whole English as Second Language is an important concept.
BUT tackling the whole English as Second Language is an important concept.
shighley's review
3.0
Interesting convention; as things seem to be gibberish, they are cartoonish and black & white. As Dat begins to understand, they appear in color. I liked the basic idea, but wanted more story.
librarydreams's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
The use of gibberish makes this a difficult book to use for a group story time. However, the use does well to convey the protagonist's experience. Gorgeous illustrations vary from Disney-esque, for familiar things and people, to old school cartoons, for the unfamiliar.
maxcfb's review
5.0
"... please trust that there is a ridiculous amount of subtext and beauty and cleverness in this one-of-a-kind story, and you cannot miss it!"
– A quote from my review (click here to see the full review on my blog!)
– A quote from my review (click here to see the full review on my blog!)
library_kb's review
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
This is such a unique book in the artwork and even the use of dingbats throughout the text to represent what it feels like to move to a new place where you don't understand the language, and how isolating that can be. But also, this book shows how easy it is for kids to take the first step to be welcoming even though understanding may be difficult or imperfect. The way that the illustrations change from cartoony unfamiliar to more realistic as the story changes also provides unique discussion points. Highly recommend!