- Hardcover: 32 pages
- Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; First Edition edition (April 1 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1596432713
- ISBN-13: 978-1596432710
- Product Dimensions: 28.2 x 19.7 x 1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 249 g
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
Kirkus Reviews
A startled lad discovers that his seemingly ordinary family has some uncommon relatives when Uncle Bernie comes for a visit. Covered with hair, sporting humongous hands and feet and so tall that his arrival at the front door requires a foldout to depict, Bernie looks like . . . could he be? Though the boy’s parents pooh-pooh the notion, all the evidence points that way. Smiling genially and playing with the more accepting baby, Bernie cuts a comical figure in O’Connor’s cartoon pictures, thanks to outsized extremities, hilariously undersized clothes and a belly of truly gargantuan proportions. Eventually the anxious narrator is won over. “Some people are just a little more different,” he concludes—which leaves him looking forward, after Bernie’s departure, to an upcoming visit from “Aunt Nessie.” Parental readers as well as children old enough to wonder whether their own family trees sport some peculiar branches will be amused.
Publishers Weekly
A funny thing happened on the way to the gene pool, as far as O’Connor’s narrator is concerned: he got an Uncle Bernie who bears a striking resemblance to a yeti. Said uncle is so big that it takes an entire gatefold to capture his huge body, and so hairy that it takes seven comic strip-style frames to survey all his hirsuteness...O’Connor is definitely on to something: most kids have at least one relative they deem weird (the narrator ultimately discovers that he has at least two). And even children whose bloodlines are disappointingly normal will enjoy coasting along with the breezy storytelling, which combines the slapstick of a funny graphic novel with the heartwarming irreverence of a Disney Channel original movie (the group-hug moral: ‘There are lots of people in the world and all of them have something a little different about them too’). Visual jokes in the backgrounds – a framed photo of the family posed near a ‘Welcome to Roswell’ sign; a notebook labeled ‘Crop Circles’ – will keep older readers amused as well.
Booklist
O’Connor, the author of Kapow! (2004), a superhero morality tale that elementary-school boys can’t stop reading, returns to appealing, fantastical subject matter in this story of a boy and his strange uncle. It seems that Uncle Bernie is coming for a visit, but when the boy asks to see a picture of this unknown uncle, his parents can’t provide one. After much anticipation, Bernie arrives—in a three-page foldout that delivers the surprise of Bernie’s huge scale. Bernie, it turns out, has giant feet and hair just about everywhere, and he definitely takes some getting used to. Eventually, the boy learns that being different doesn’t necessarily mean trouble, a realization that prepares him for the arrival of yet another offbeat relative. O’Connor employs the humor of the absurd as he puts his big, hairy monster into the middle of daily chores, such as playing with the baby and fixing the car, while slipping in a few adult-targeted nods here and there to make this a lighthearted, enjoyable read for all. — Jesse Karp
O’Connor, the author of Kapow! (2004), a superhero morality tale that elementary-school boys can’t stop reading, returns to appealing, fantastical subject matter in this story of a boy and his strange uncle. It seems that Uncle Bernie is coming for a visit, but when the boy asks to see a picture of this unknown uncle, his parents can’t provide one. After much anticipation, Bernie arrives—in a three-page foldout that delivers the surprise of Bernie’s huge scale. Bernie, it turns out, has giant feet and hair just about everywhere, and he definitely takes some getting used to. Eventually, the boy learns that being different doesn’t necessarily mean trouble, a realization that prepares him for the arrival of yet another offbeat relative. O’Connor employs the humor of the absurd as he puts his big, hairy monster into the middle of daily chores, such as playing with the baby and fixing the car, while slipping in a few adult-targeted nods here and there to make this a lighthearted, enjoyable read for all. — Jesse Karp
June 2008 issue of School Library Journal
K-Gr 2–When a postcard arrives announcing Uncle Bernie’s imminent visit, Mom smiles, Dad grins, and the baby stares, wide-eyed. But big brother is clearly suspicious. Why isn’t his uncle in the family photo albums? This line of inquiry is accompanied by mental pictures: Dracula poised to strike, a bank robber sneaking away with the loot, a technomonster that shows his fearsome teeth, etc. In the next scene, someone is knocking as the door splays, bursting at the frame. Uncle Bernie is indeed very large, very hairy, and has very big feet. Hilarious illustrations include a spread of feet, legs, and protruding tummy–plus the back of the boy’s head, looking ever so tiny. The two pages are really a three-page foldout; readers finally get to see Uncle Bernie’s head and torso. From where the narrator is standing, the view is downright mountainous, and the boy delves into research on “Bigfoots.” The homey artwork is filled with delightful touches such as the way the youngster pictures his future self when his dad tells him that he’ll probably get hairier, too, when he’s older. The lesson here is that “There are a lot of people in the world and all of them have something a little different about them too,” and the author adds a ton of fun by way of leavening the message. O’Connor is a sardonic, imaginative, and exuberant illustrator, and though the story stops in its tracks at the boy’s uncharacteristic insight, it is only for a moment.–Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY
K-Gr 2–When a postcard arrives announcing Uncle Bernie’s imminent visit, Mom smiles, Dad grins, and the baby stares, wide-eyed. But big brother is clearly suspicious. Why isn’t his uncle in the family photo albums? This line of inquiry is accompanied by mental pictures: Dracula poised to strike, a bank robber sneaking away with the loot, a technomonster that shows his fearsome teeth, etc. In the next scene, someone is knocking as the door splays, bursting at the frame. Uncle Bernie is indeed very large, very hairy, and has very big feet. Hilarious illustrations include a spread of feet, legs, and protruding tummy–plus the back of the boy’s head, looking ever so tiny. The two pages are really a three-page foldout; readers finally get to see Uncle Bernie’s head and torso. From where the narrator is standing, the view is downright mountainous, and the boy delves into research on “Bigfoots.” The homey artwork is filled with delightful touches such as the way the youngster pictures his future self when his dad tells him that he’ll probably get hairier, too, when he’s older. The lesson here is that “There are a lot of people in the world and all of them have something a little different about them too,” and the author adds a ton of fun by way of leavening the message. O’Connor is a sardonic, imaginative, and exuberant illustrator, and though the story stops in its tracks at the boy’s uncharacteristic insight, it is only for a moment.–Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY
Product Description
WHAT'S TEN FEET TALL, completely covered in hair, hard to photograph, and has the largest feet in the world? Your uncle! When a spunky kid meets his long-lost Uncle Bernie, he's positive that his uncle isn't so much a Bernie as he is a BIGFOOT. But as he sets out to prove-it, he realizes that maybe Bernie's just different, and different can be a very great thing. With its HUGE Uncle Bernie fold-out and illustrations filled with hidden jokes and references to other mythological characters, this is sure to make a BIG hit with kids.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hugely Hilarious, Jun 30 2008
By Ami Hassler "www.bookami.com" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Uncle Bigfoot (Hardcover)
Uncle Bigfoot has been a huge hit in my household. The premise is fairly obvious from the title. A young boy is reintroduced to his Uncle Bernie, who he hasn't seen since he was an infant. There aren't any pictures of Uncle Bernie in the house, and when he arrives, the young boy is surprised to find that his uncle is a rather large, hairy man with enormous hands and feet. Could Uncle Bernie be the elusive Bigfoot? The young boy rules this out, though, when he sees how fun and loving his uncle is.Certainly the theme that it's okay to be different is evergreen, but the two boys in my house could have cared less about that. The first thing my 3-year-old did was step on the cover of the book to see if his foot was as big as the foot on the cover. We also had to see if his hand was as big as the picture of Uncle Bernie's hand in the middle of the book. My 5-year-old thought the picture of the young boy as a Bigfoot was the best part. He now thinks he wants to go as Bigfoot for Halloween. So while I certainly don't condone my children stepping on books, I love how this book immediately captured their attention with it's funny illustrations and straight forward story. Not to mention, the green toenails on the cover supplied the gross factor required of all picture books by my two little monsters.
For additional reading suggestions, visit my site.
5.0 out of 5 stars
My children love this book, Dec 28 2010
By Gennyfer Hanvey "If I download and read a fre... - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Uncle Bigfoot (Hardcover)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who is Uncle Bigfoot?, April 1 2008
By Sara Paulson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Uncle Bigfoot (Hardcover)
Great story of a kid who is searching for the truth, asking questions, and using scientific method and reasoning to come to his own conclusion. Yay for kids thinking and problem solving in picture books! One great moment is when Bernie surmises that IF such a hairy gargantuan is his UNCLE, then IS HE going to become so hairy too?? Yikes! The comic style illustrations are cinematic in their angles and zooms, and hilarious in their details. It is a wonderful depiction of a Bernie's mind, intent on solving the mystery of whether Uncle Bigfoot is indeed Bigfoot, with a backdrop of well-intentioned but roundabout parent talk. Uncle Bigfoot is wonderfully fun reading, reminding grown-ups that kids are more logical than we realize and reach some very amusing and thoughtful conclusions.
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
