I'm Not (review)
2011; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 64; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2011.a408920
ISSN1558-6766
Autores ResumoReviewed by: I'm Not Deborah Stevenson Smallcomb, Pam. I'm Not; illus. by Robert Weinstock. Schwartz & Wade, 2011. [32p.] Library ed. ISBN 978-0-375-96115-1 $18.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-375-86115-4 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys R 6-9 yrs. "If Evelyn was a car, she would get a speeding ticket," says her admiring friend the narrator, who feels a little bit shrunken next to her ebullient companion's largerthan-life vivacity. Fortunately, Evelyn is as forthright in friendship as she is in everything else, and she points out that the narrator outstrips Evelyn in spelling, karate, cookie-making, and other skills, and that most of all Evelyn appreciates having a loyal and true friend. While the story of two very different friends is a familiar one, this is a funny and understanding look at the particular problem faced by the seemingly less charismatic companion. The subdued iteration of "I'm not" after the enumerations of Evelyn's various exciting qualities ("Evelyn is up on all the latest fashion trends") conveys in an instant the protagonist's perspective, and the text's curve to point out that the "I'm not" goes the other way for other characteristics is valuable as well as valid. Weinstock captures the friends as rotund, squat reptiles who suggest trash-compacted dragons, and the scenes are confidently laced with absurdity, from the kids' various mayhem-causing scenarios to the occasional secondary players (the lanky, droopy-billed birds are particularly droll). Plenty of kids occasionally feel like sidekicks to a more dramatic friend, and this offers a nice reminder that good friendships always offer mutual benefits. Copyright © 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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