There Is a Tribe of Kids

Though Smith's story is mostly built around terms for groups of animals-- "a crash of rhinos," "an unkindness of ravens"--it stars a solitary human child, a cross between Peter Pan and Mowgli. Dressed in leaves, he kneels among baby mountain goats ("There was a tribe of kids") until their mother leads them out of reach. He dances with penguins until they swim away. He crawls along with a caterpillar, then hangs upside down next to it until the inevitable happens: "There was a flight of butterflies." All of these goodbyes have a wistful sameness, so readers will rejoice when at last the child finds his own tribe of kids--a rainbow of leaf-clad children. One of the book's delights is its shifting moods and colors, which feel like the movements of an orchestral work. The textures Smith (Return to Augie Hobble) builds up seem organically formed, as if waves and time had worn them down, yet the spreads are vivid and clean. Every living being, Smith implies, needs a place to belong, and children, especially, need other children. Ages 5-8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (May)

PreS-Gr 3--Here, Smith mines the humor and surprises found in the collective nouns assigned to groups of things and animals, juggling a host of habitats in a 24-hour time period. Arrayed in pixielike footwear and a leafy tunic, his protagonist is constantly moving--falling mid-flight from an "unkindness of ravens" or transforming into a trapezoid to mimic the "formation of rocks." The interactions are, by turn, affectionate, dramatic, and funny--developed through expert shifts in expression, gesture, and posture. Witness the water swelling and lifting the lad's clothing, revealing matching underwear as he cavorts with the "smack of jellyfish" or the stare down from the "band of gorillas" when he plays a sour note. The artist has honed his technique of manual and digital manipulation of oil paint, sprayed varnish, and colored pencils to create a visual extravaganza of dappled, textured compositions; their changing palettes create colors ranging from the dazzling whiteness behind a "colony of penguins" to the restful blues enveloping the nocturnal "bed of clams." A shift from past to present tense upon the return home, plus the second use (new meaning) of "a tribe of kids," contrasts a raucous, Pan-like forest civilization with the quiet goats that opened the story. VERDICT There is much to savor and explore in this cleverly crafted picture book, and readers will glean more with each perusal. A must-have--Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal

"Gorgeously textured and colored . . . witty and humorous. . . Smith soars in this earnest, meditative work about longing, the joy of interaction, and family. Absolutely radiant." —Kirkus, starred review

"A kaleidoscopic look at nature imbued with a playful love of language that young readers can't fail to embrace." —Booklist, starred review

"One of the book's delights is its shifting moods and colors, which feel like the movements of an orchestral work... organically formed... vivid and clean." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"There is much to savor and explore in this cleverly crafted picture book, and readers will glean more with each perusal. A must-have." —School Library Journal, starred review

"This is a book straight from the thoughts of a young child, with the feel of a daydream... an emotion-filled journey." —The Horn Book