Angry Arthur by Hiawyn Oram. il by Satoshi Kitamura.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1982.
First published in Great Britain by Andersen Press, 1982.

Arthur is angry, because he doesn't want to go to bed. His anger builds and builds until his house and town are so far out in the universe that they become particles. Each increase of anger pushes him and his world a little farther, and he is told by his parents and grandparents that it is enough. Finally, he is tired from the drama and doesn't remember why he was angry.

This is a very cohesive story for one so brief. There are some great descriptions, such as a hurricane ripping off roofs. Well thought out and with a catastrophic event for each build.

As good as the story is, the illustrations are the best part. Each page adds to the story. Cracks in the room before the initial explosion, the devastated neighborhood, the town being washed away by a flood, and then the outer space pictures, Arthur hanging onto his anger all the while.

I wish I had known about this book when my kids were young.

RL=K-2nd, read aloud to toddler-1st

In the Attic by Hiawyn Oram. il by Satoshi Kitamura.
Henry Holt and Company: NY, 1984.

In this book, an unnamed boy is looking for something new to do, even though he has "a million toys." He uses the ladder from his firetruck to climb through the ceiling to his attic. There he dreams vivid scenes and adventures. I particularly like the windows into other worlds and the game with the tiger. In the end, he climbs back to his home and tells his mom about his day.

The text is fairly basic and short enough for beginners. Though it is basic, it still sounds like a story, not stilted. The illustrations are the centerpiece of the story. Imaginative and detailed. I want to just look and look at the page.

related-boredom, Japanese children's stories, attics, imagination, adventure
RL=K-1st, read aloud to toddler-1st

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