Kirkus Reviews

A lonely child's dream of a joyous party with animal friends becomes a bridge to friendship with other children.Miyares' lovely gouache-and-pencil compositions set the scene: In the dining hall of an imposing boarding school, a sad child sits apart. In their dorm room, beside a shadowy row of sleeping kids, the wakeful child's face is illuminated by moonlight. Nearby, a pet turtle seems about to escape its fishbowl terrarium. The dream begins with a formal invitation—sealing wax and all—propped against the now-empty fishbowl. As a glorious full moon beckons, the child, suddenly clothed in red-flannel shirt and jeans and wearing a backpack, escapes out the window to a waiting bike and helmet. The journey through woods to sea is lushly depicted, and the turtle, now huge, ferries the child to a cave full of welcoming animals. Fox, goose, hare, bear, and owl treat the child to tea, sweets, and music: Each plays an instrument as turtle claps and the child dances. "A night out ends, / as a new day breaks." After being carried back ashore, the child bikes back to school and clambers into bed. A final spread shows the child in pajamas, small-again turtle in hand, regaling five roommates; the final endpapers show them eating together. The protagonist has pale skin and straight, black hair in a cropped cut, and their classmates display a variety of skin tones and hair textures.A luminous allegory that celebrates the necessity of connection. (Picture book. 4-7)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In a forbidding boarding school, at a long table under a chandelier, a boy eats alone while the other students chatter. In the dormitory, he lies awake while the others sleep. One night, his pet turtle escapes, leaving an invitation behind. The boy reads it, clambers out the window, and finds his turtle, who has grown large and carries the boy to a party hosted by animals who welcome him with cake and music. He returns at dawn with new confidence and stories to share. Keeping the text minimal (-Come in! Come in! You-re just in time-), Miyares (That Neighbor Kid) concentrates on developing quiet visual drama. The rich paintings contain a succession of time-honored fairy tale elements: a gothic school, a hand-lettered map, a secret moonlit journey, and the peaceable kingdom the boy discovers among the creatures who welcome him-including a golden-eyed owl, a bear, a fox, a goose, and a rabbit. Nighttime fantasy adventures often end with an -it was all a dream- moment, but this one lasts until the book is closed. There aren-t any lessons or morals-just the pleasure of watching a lonely boy find the friendship he wishes for. Ages 4-8. Agency: Studio Goodwin Sturges. (May)

School Library Journal (Tue May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

PreS-Gr 2 An unnamed boy is a loner at boarding school until an invitation leads him to a nighttime celebration and provides him with a remarkable story to tell. Although brief hand-lettered sentences and phrases appear throughout, young readers will have no difficulty following this story through the large illustrations rendered in gouache and colored pencils. An opening scene of boys chatting amiably at a long dining table while the boy eats alone at the far end dramatically reveals his lonely existence. Even in the dark dormitory, the other boys sleep peacefully while the youngster lies awake, his bed bathed in moonlight. When an invitation appears near his turtle bowl, however, he climbs out the window and rides his bike through the woods and to the water's edge. There a large turtle carries him to a cave where a group of animals announce he's "just in timefor tea." After a song and dance, the boy returns to his dorm and regales his dormmates with his adventures. A closing spread depicts the boy now seated at table amid his new friends while his former chair at the end is empty. VERDICT The beautiful illustrations as well as the message that telling stories is an effective way to make friends make this fantasy a fine storytime choice for all libraries. Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA