Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist
Grade 1–2—Artists all, Lester's talented family shush him as he pops his bubble gum in their favorite creative spaces. A strange occurrence in his Uncle Edgar's studio finally sets him on the path to Art, and he develops his artistic gift with bubble gum. The story is endearing; readers will root for Lester to one-up a competitive cousin and win an art contest. They'll worry when his front tooth falls out. But there are many subtleties that will fly right over their heads. Lester's relatives have names like Winslow, Dorothea, and Vincent. Friends are named Georgia and Frida. Wickstrom's clever illustrations imitate or allude to the works of these famous artists. (In one scene, Lester blows a bubble that looks like a cow skull.) The pictures have plenty of kid appeal, but most of the visual puns will be lost on children. Some of the language is sophisticated: "Suddenly, a powerful breath rose inside Lester. His belly bulged…. His limber lips labored and his face turned fuchsia." The words make delicious sounds; the meanings can be unraveled with the help of the illustrations. As they listen to, inspect, and enjoyLester Fizz, youngsters will wonder why the adult reading aloud is laughing so hard. Maybe they'll be curious enough to find out, and teachers may want to use the book to introduce modern Western art.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.