Hugo and Miles In I've Painted Everything
Kindergarten-Grade 3—When Hugo, an elephant, finishes his painting of an electrical outlet, he realizes that he has painted everything in Cornville and is fresh out of ideas. His canine friend, Miles, suggests a trip to Paris for inspiration. Days of exploration prompt the artist to consider various possibilities, such as becoming Van Hugo, who paints impressions of his feelings; working in one color as "Hue-Go"; or creating "Hugo-mongous" canvases. But it is his vision of a completely different Paris as he views the city from atop the Eiffel Tower that finally convinces Hugo to return to Cornville where he "can paint everything all over again, only differently." The cartoon illustrations, rendered in pencil and digitally colored, pro-vide an ample supply of visual jokes. Cornville is the home of "Soft's Hardware" and "Munchie's Grocery." "Get There Air" takes Hugo and Miles to Paris and "Been There Air" flies them home. The myriad subjects of Hugo's paintings are quite amusing, and there are disguised works by Raphael, Hals, Van Gogh, and others in the museums. The paintbrushes and wrenches on the endpapers exemplify the two friends' occupations, and the French street map, passport, and guide-book on the title pages foreshadow their trip. This story, along with Michelle Markel'sDreamer from the Village: The Story of Marc Chagall(Holt, 2005), can spark a discussion about new ways to see everyday objects.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CTCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.