How This Book Was Made

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From School Library Journal --------------------------- K-Gr 4—The creators of the metafictional romp Chloe and the Lion return with another picture book all tangled up in the story of its own creation. After introducing the two cut paper-and-pencil protagonists, Mac and Adam, the narrative proceeds with the steps of Mac's writing process: dozens of drafts, revisions with the editor, Adam's illustrations, and even printing and shipping from Malaysia. But from the mixed-media cover art to the closing tiger-print endpapers, Barnett and Rex's surreal digressions and visual humor ensure that the tale will not follow a straightforward course. (At one point, illiterate pirates hijack the story for a single spread before vamoosing because they don't read.) Rex's artwork features paper models and a painted globe in addition to the pencil-drawn figures, lending the work the three-dimensional texture of a puppet play. Some of the metafiction will befuddle most audiences, but the joke density in a volume that includes an arm-wrestling tiger and Ben Franklin scaling Philadelphia's city hall like King Kong will keep many readers flipping the pages. Barnett and Rex round out their absurdist look behind the scenes with a librarian-friendly reminder that finding a reader is what really makes a book. VERDICT This quirky exercise in self-reflexiveness offers a nugget of truth about the laborious process of producing books. Fans of these wacky creators will eat it up.—Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) About the Author ---------------- Mac Barnett is the New York Times best-selling author of over twenty books for children, including Count the Monkeys, illustrated by Kevin Cornell; Chloe and the Lion, illustrated by Adam Rex; and Extra Yarn and Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, both illustrated by Jon Klassen, and both winners of a Caldecott Honor and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award. He also writes the Terrible Two series with Jory John. Mac lives in Berkeley, California. Visit him at macbarnett.com. Adam Rex is the New York Times best-selling author and illustrator of Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich. His other books include The True Meaning of Smekday, which was made into the animated hit movie Home; Moonday; Vampire; and Cold Cereal. He also illustrated the Brixton Brothers series, Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem, and Chloe and the Lion, all by Mac Barnett, and Chu's Day by Neil Gan. He lives in Tucson, Arizona. Visit him at adamrex.com or follow him on Twitter @MrAdamRex. Read more ( javascript:void(0) )