Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Fun with compound words defines this early reader.In a classroom headed by a white teacher, a diverse group of children with varied skin tones reviews a lesson about compound words. "Homework" is the first such word that a brown-skinned, black-haired girl named Annemarie identifies, and an accompanying illustration uses a thought balloon to show her imagining two anthropomorphic houses in hard hats doing roadwork with a jackhammer. Similar pictures and playful text follow in later spreads that depict Annemarie and other children in the classroom and playing on the playground while thinking of other compound words. The compound wordplay continues as Annemarie drives home with her father and then interacts with her family, all of whom share her coloring. A return to school has Annemarie turning in her homework, pleased with the many compound words she's listed. Throughout, humorous digitally colored cartoon illustrations provide context clues for readers decoding the compound-word-rich text. The use of panels in the well-designed spreads makes it easy to follow the engaging, sequential illustrations. Praiseworthy! (Early reader. 6-8)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Mon May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

K-Gr 2The fun begins with the titleWordplaya compound word for a book about compound words. Annemarie and her classmates work on their assignment to compile lists of compound words. "How about housework?" asks a boy. "YES!" responds the teacher as Annemarie quietly giggles, imagining cheery houses vacuuming and dusting. Each new word conjures up another humorous imaginingtwo boys playing catch with a foot (football) or a calendar page taking a nap (daydream). Brunetti's cartoon art is rendered in a modern, intentionally naive stylelargely two-dimensional, with a childlike simplicity that will resonate with the book's audience. Panels vary in size but are symmetrical and clearly delineated by white borders. Word bubbles are white with simple black text. Compound words appear in red. In addition, children of many races and ethnicities are prominently featured. As with all of the publisher's offerings, this work contains tips for sharing comics with kids and is labeled with grade, Lexile, guided reading, and reading recovery levels. VERDICT An amusing language arts lesson in a comic book format, perfect for individual or small group sharing. What's not to love?Lisa Taylor, Jacksonville Public Library, FL

ALA Booklist (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

This playful graphic novel for early readers offers an entertaining lesson in some quirks of the English language. In a classroom, Annemarie's teacher is giving a lesson on compound words, which Annemarie then imagines in a literal d very silly y. Homework becomes two peaked-roof houses on a construction job. Homesick appears as a feverish house with a thermometer in its mouth. Chickpea becomes a yellow baby chicken nesting in a pea pod. Sleepwalk gives Annemarie's bed, now wearing a smiling face and red sneakers, a pair of long, striding legs. Annemarie's comical visualizations continue on her way home from school, over dinner, as she's lying in bed, and even the next day, when she's back in class and completing her homework with one last compound word, Daydream. Brunetti's affable, graphic-design-style artwork, composed of crisp lines, rich colors, and blocky shapes and laid out in large-format panels, perfectly complements the visual jokes of the story, which will likely be familiar to many kiddos delighted by words.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

After Annemarie defines compound word for her teacher, the girl imagines interpreting compounds part by part: an eggplant, for instance, would be a plant that grows eggs. Spacious graphic-novel panels invite readers to spend time with each of Brunetti's humorous illustrations. The two words that make each compound are highlighted in different colors, reinforcing the lesson and making it accessible to new readers.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Fun with compound words defines this early reader.In a classroom headed by a white teacher, a diverse group of children with varied skin tones reviews a lesson about compound words. "Homework" is the first such word that a brown-skinned, black-haired girl named Annemarie identifies, and an accompanying illustration uses a thought balloon to show her imagining two anthropomorphic houses in hard hats doing roadwork with a jackhammer. Similar pictures and playful text follow in later spreads that depict Annemarie and other children in the classroom and playing on the playground while thinking of other compound words. The compound wordplay continues as Annemarie drives home with her father and then interacts with her family, all of whom share her coloring. A return to school has Annemarie turning in her homework, pleased with the many compound words she's listed. Throughout, humorous digitally colored cartoon illustrations provide context clues for readers decoding the compound-word-rich text. The use of panels in the well-designed spreads makes it easy to follow the engaging, sequential illustrations. Praiseworthy! (Early reader. 6-8)

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

In a lighthearted exploration of compound words, New Yorker cartoonist Brunetti introduces a classroom of schoolchildren, rendered with the round heads and flattened perspectives that characterize his artwork. After receiving a homework assignment to create a list of compound words, a girl with a hair bun and eyeglasses delights in imagining the possibilities behind these verbal mashups. There-s a six-handed handyman with another hand for his head, a ballroom filled with dancing sports equipment, and even an alternative definition for grasshopper: -You mean like a rabbit?- she asks her father. Colored type underscores the concept (for -bedtime,- -bed- is red, and -time- is blue), and the girl-s quiet pride in discovering compound words is as enjoyable as her loopy interpretations. Brunetti buoyantly conveys the joy of diving into newly acquired knowledge and the idea that learning and play aren-t mutually exclusive. Ages 4-8. (May)