My Town's (Extra) Ordinary People

“My name is Theo and I live in a small town by the sea. A town just like any other, full of ordinary people like you and me. People we might not pay much attention to at first. But if we took the time to notice them, we might see that they are anything but ordinary.”

Thus we’re invited to get to meet some of these (extra) ordinary people and asked to get to realize how special they all are, in a format known as a “list” book, which means there’s no overall story, but there’s an overall theme that does connect. This is Grover’s Corners for the kindergarten set and why not? Although it’s not nonfiction, it has the feel of nonfiction and is in alignment with what nonfiction can do: educate and broaden horizons.

Carla feeds the birds. “You can always find Henry and Nickel, the dog, gazing out at the sea. Felix “is my best friend. There’s never a dull moment when you’re with Felix.”

We meet a punk rocker, a potter, a giant, a bookstore owner, an artist who loves geometry, a bookworm and Violet, who is ten years old, “does not hug anyone, neither welcome hugs nor good bye hugs.” There’s a musician, someone who loves stray cats.

This is an oddball collection of people who are worth taking a second look at. In so doing we are meeting the world at large. We’re not just being introduced to the usual suspects, the baseball player, the teacher, the pilot. Young ones can now add new identities to the more mundane ones they see in their animated morning shows.

This is an extremely graphically illustrated book possibly using cutouts to great dramatic effect. The art is sure to delight, with only one caveat. Some of the text appears on very dark pages in very light type face. It’s strange that the bold art is accompanied by almost, at times, unreadable text. A question to be considered, perhaps, for the art director.