Being Edie Is Hard Today

Gr 1-3-Edie, a girl with long hair and green leaves stuck in her tresses like antenna, just can't face going to school today. There's no specific reason given, she just feels overwhelmed and antisocial. Her day does not improve by pushing through her feelings, and she imagines herself as a series of different animals whose characteristics might help. After being teased about her snack choice (sardines), she imagines herself to be a cheetah, and gets her revenge on a bullying antelope. "During her rather long trip to the principal's office, Edie tried to explain the slow-moving characteristics of a sloth, but Ms. Meany wasn't listening." Back home, a good cry and a talk with her mother lets her recharge and feel ready to face the next day as herself. From the beginning, the illustrations indicate Edie's world of fantasy---circles of delicate watercolor behind finely detailed black and white pencil vignettes create literal bubbles for Edie to exist in and give the barest hint of her actual environment. For the first two thirds of the story, all the people are shown in profile with blank faces. Instead of facial features, one or more emoji float above their heads indicating their inner state of mind and adding a sophisticated layer of visual literacy to the presentation. VERDICT An interesting and subtle story about feelings and anxiety for elementary students.-Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN

In an empathic, artful story, a child wishes she could transform into something other than herself. Edie wears two spriglike leaves on the top of her head, almost like ears, and takes on the characteristics of various animals throughout the school day. When her teacher asks her to write on the board, Edie explains why she can't: "I have polar bear hands." When she eats sardines at recess, other kids tease her, calling her a "stinky squid"; in the following spread, Edie wistfully imagines herself as a pink squid, tentacles encircling her classmates' ship ("Oh, to be a squid"). Bergeland illustrates in intricate pencil lines paired with bursts of pale color, providing the story a gently surreal, melancholy atmosphere. Readers will observe that other students have animal features-- a tail here, a pair of antlers there. The addition of emoji-style faces hovering above the characters' blank faces can feel duplicative but often gives voice to the blank-faced figures' inner emotions--the strangeness of the day and the relatable feeling of wanting to disappear into a new identity more than speaks for itself. Ages 4-8. (May)