Lucky

August 11, 2014
Mom announces there’ll be a surprise at dinner, and the narrator and his brother, Leo, eventually decide it can mean only one thing: their family has won a trip to “Hawaii for two weeks: all expenses paid!” The brothers set the school grapevine buzzing and even inspire the principal to give everyone 10 minutes of free time because “this is the first time in history that anyone from our school has ever won a vacation.” Then Mom enthusiastically reveals, as only mothers can, that the big surprise is... takeout pizza. Crushed and embarrassed, the narrator slowly realizes that he’s in a pretty lucky family after all—a revelation handled with the subtlety and sweetness that’s become Mackintosh’s signature. As befits a story about magical thinking, Mackintosh (Standing in for Lincoln Green) amplifies his sketchbook-style drawings with a visually extravagant mélange of comic book framings, exaggerated typography that sometimes tips a hat to concrete poetry, and collage (which includes kitschy Hawaiiana to accompany Leo’s rhapsodic tribute to island life). It’s a story that leaves its readers feeling fortunate as well. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from September 15, 2014
Two boys get carried away when their mom tells them they will have a surprise at dinner. Little brother Leo thinks it's curly fries, but the young narrator starts thinking...and that's how they get into trouble! They brainstorm a list of ever bigger and better possibilities (a bike! a new car! a swimming pool!), and finally, with visions of grass skirts and volcanoes in their heads, they conclude it must be an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii. Both voice and reasoning are hysterically, authentically childlike. Dynamic, rapid-fire collage-and-pencil illustrations capture the zany escalation. The text increases in size, replicating their ever bolder assertions. Excited, they tell everyone at school, where even the staff celebrates by giving the students an extra 10-minute break. But when they get home, the siblings discover a very different surprise awaits them, leaving the narrator feeling rather sick until contagiously enthusiastic Leo cheers him up. How lucky can a kid get? This is a quirky, spot-on snapshot of family life, perfect for family sharing and repeated readings. And children will love examining the whimsical, surprisingly delightful details in the drawings. A winner. (Picture book. 4-8)

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October 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-Two brothers jump to conclusions when their mother announces that they will have a surprise at dinner. Could it be a new bike? Tickets to a show? A swimming pool in their yard or an elevator for their high-rise building? Or maybe it's a two-week vacation in Hawaii that their parents won in a contest. Convinced that it's the latter, they tell everyone at school, and the principal rewards their good fortune by giving all the students 10 minutes of free time. Rushing home after school, the narrator is deflated when Mom tells him that the surprise is pizza for dinner. But with a little creativity, plus a pineapple and coconuts, the family enjoys a make-believe Hawaiian meal.Mackintosh's animated cartoon illustrations are rendered in pencil, ink, and watercolor, with some mixed-media collage. The offbeat pictures illustrate the boys' wild imaginings with a mishmash of crazy angles, detailed scribbles, and bizarre inserts that children will want to examine up close. Lettering in various sizes and placements adds a quirky dimension and kinetic energy to the story. Fans of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith's frenetic books will appreciate this entertaining tale.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
Preschool-G A nameless young boy and his younger brother Leo are told by their mother at breakfast that they are having a surprise at dinner that night. This teaser sets the boys to thinking of a wide range of possible treats and gifts, which over the course of the day snowball into a two-week all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii won through a radio competition. As news spreads across the school, the boys' windfall becomes the students' windfall; 10 minutes of extra recess is awarded to all to celebrate. At the end of the day, the boys dash home to pack, where Surprise! they discover a surprise a tad bit less impressive. Ultimately, the impact of the surprise is twofold: the boys had the fun of anticipating their surprise all day, and then, when all is said and done, they realize how lucky they are. The artwork, reminiscent of John Burningham's, combines collage, pencil, and crayon and is as frenetic and free-flowing as the boys' whirring imaginations. At turns exuberant, sweet, and humorous, this is a delightful surprise.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)