It's hard not to be happy. The sun is shining, we've had our first snowfall, and Lenore Look has put forth a new Alvin Ho to read during my lunch hour.Yay!
Interesting, to compare and contrast Alvin Ho: Allergic to Dead Bodies, Funerals and Other Fatal Circumstances with the dread Red Book that Goes Ping. The very sorts of word play that drove me nuts (just nuts) in Red Book turn spritely and spare* under the light touch of Ms. Look. Alvin Ho's interior illustrations are energetic and fun and serve to move the story along, unlike the muddied and lifeless afterthoughts in Red Book.**
The only criticism I have with Alvin and his fear of death is the comment on page 65:
"How'd you get invited?" asked Nhia.
"Normally, kids aren't allowed at funerals."
Wha? Kids are absolutely allowed at funerals---the more kids, the better! The whole point of a funeral is to celebrate the life and mourn the death, and remember to be grateful for every day you've got. And who would you rather do that with---a bunch of old fogies who are going to stand around discussing the price of gas and wall-to-wall carpeting over ham-on-buns in the church basement, or a hand-picked squadron of ten year-olds who will sneak outside with you to speculate about the resurrection of the dead over an earthy grave and then try to scare each other silly running around the cemetery?
Enough said.
_________
*Very very spare---which of course is the whole trick!
**Interior illustrations make me passive aggressive. Man, I'd die happy to have a book published with interior art---the apotheosis of good taste and breeding!---but what if they were just stuck in there to make the book seem more accessible to non-reading boys, which I suspect was the case with Red Book? Woudl I die happy, or just plain die?
