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21st out of 78 books
—
131 voters
The Boys
by
Jeff Newman
This wordless picture book tells the story of a quiet boy working to overcome his shyness and finding the courage to play baseball with the other kids in the park... With the help of a few old timers from the nearby park bench, our boy is coaxed out of his shell and into the game. Beautifully illustrated, this is the story about the young finding out how much fun it is to...more
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
February 23rd 2010
by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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See this purple foot-shaped bruise on the back of my left leg? Wanna know how I got it? Of course you do, oh imaginary people I’m talking to in my head. Yeah, I got that by kicking myself for not having a copy of The Boys by Jeff Newman on hand the other day. I will endeavor to explain. You see I was working the children’s reference desk in my library when a mother walked up to me with an interesting request. “Do you have any wordless picture books?” she asked. Do I! Merrily I skipped back and g...more
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I only opened this book to get a feel for the sort of book it was. I was immediately captivated by the art, the wordless story. I set it down with misty eyes and a wide smile. What a book!
My problem is that I want you to discover it and I don’t want to mess any of its wonder of wordlessness up for you. I’ve tried to put words to it, but it seems to minimize the story, as if pinning it down removes the life from it. So I will briefly tell you the premise and proceed to gush about it in more gene...more
My problem is that I want you to discover it and I don’t want to mess any of its wonder of wordlessness up for you. I’ve tried to put words to it, but it seems to minimize the story, as if pinning it down removes the life from it. So I will briefly tell you the premise and proceed to gush about it in more gene...more
I love this little picture book! It's a wordless picture book (the only words are the days of the week) and it's the story of one boy's week and his desire to play baseball in his new town.
The illustrations are cute, although at times felt a bit undone. (There's a bird on one page that appears to missing a head!) The storyline may be a bit hard for younger kids to follow, but with the help of adult guiding them, I think they would enjoy it. I'm not sure if kids would get the humor as much as ki...more
The illustrations are cute, although at times felt a bit undone. (There's a bird on one page that appears to missing a head!) The storyline may be a bit hard for younger kids to follow, but with the help of adult guiding them, I think they would enjoy it. I'm not sure if kids would get the humor as much as ki...more
Except for the pages labeled with days of a single week, this is a wordless but eloquent book. When a young boy moves to a new neighborhood his world turns around in the space of one week. First overcome with shyness, he packs away his baseball gear. Then,m day by day, he joins, identifies with, is challenged by a quartet of old gents on a park bench. Eventually they lead him to participating in the baseball game, and they, too, leave their bench to participate as his cheering gallery.
White spac...more
White spac...more
I absolutely love this book. With no text other than the days of the week marking the passage of time, Jeff Newman has told a fantastic story of a shy little boy's whose inspiration comes from an unlikely source.
Day One: father and son unload a moving van. Boy unpacks his box of beloved baseball gear, then heads for the local park, where a group of kids are engaged in a lively game. He is too shy to ask for a place on the field, so he seats himself on a bench beside four older gentlemen who are...more
Day One: father and son unload a moving van. Boy unpacks his box of beloved baseball gear, then heads for the local park, where a group of kids are engaged in a lively game. He is too shy to ask for a place on the field, so he seats himself on a bench beside four older gentlemen who are...more
In this wordless picture book, a bashful boy works up the courage to join the other kids in a neighborhood baseball game. Thanks to the gentle nudging of a group of “old-timers” that he meets on a park bench, the boy transforms from a shy bystander to an active participant as his confidence grows. Newman deftly illustrates how the old men coax the boy to evolve with his gesture-filled character sketches paired with bold brushstrokes. No need for words.
A little boy is to shy to join the local baseball game. Instead he chooses to hang out with the older gentlemen on the sidelines. This hilariously turns out to include dressing like the older men. The gentlemen decide someone needs a little push in the right direction. So they begin to lead the little boy into common activities for young children until the boy is confident enough to join the local boys in a pick up game of baseball. Fabulous!
I adored this nearly wordless picture book! By telling the story through the days of the week, Newman sets up the sweet tale of a little boy trying to find a way to fit in. I love that the story could take you almost anywhere that you and your little one reading it are willing to go (and therein lies the wonder and imagination in wordless picture books). I could see it going from early elementary on up--you really can make it work!
A wordless picture book about a young boy finding the courage, with the help of some old timers, to join the game at the park. (Goodreads summary)
The Boys by Jeff Newman is an essentially wordless book, naming days of the week to indicate when action took place. The illustrations are rendered in gouache and ink and effectively tell the story through body language & facial expressions. There's a retro feel to the illustrations. The sequence where the boy is harrassed/encouraged by the old men...more
The Boys by Jeff Newman is an essentially wordless book, naming days of the week to indicate when action took place. The illustrations are rendered in gouache and ink and effectively tell the story through body language & facial expressions. There's a retro feel to the illustrations. The sequence where the boy is harrassed/encouraged by the old men...more
This nearly wordless book is all about getting in the game - especially when it feels difficult to do so. I adored the simplicity of the illustrations and the use of bright colors. I'd love to read this with other people and hear what words they insert into the story.
I loved the wordless story told through the retro illustrations, and especially the hilarious 'grandpas' who help our hero resolve his problem. I wonder whether kids will like it as well.
Practically wordless, I love love love the old men's faces and the lengths they go to in order to help a new kid get up the gumption to join the local baseball game.
I think this would be a nice book for a student feeling left out and for students doing the leaving out. Pictures speak louder than words in this book.
Jan 12, 2011
June
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to June by:
Cap Choices
Shelves:
cap-choices-2010,
picture-book
A shy child wishes to join a baseball game. Some old people notice and devise a plan. I like the positive and active portrayal of the older generation.
Right up there in my favourite wordless books category. Boom. Landed there pretty much instantly. Oh the things going on in this book . . .
A shy guy would like to join a baseball game. He has a little help from the senior citizen set & they are all able to get into the game.
Becky says, "Brilliant wordless picture book in a retro style. Comedy in pictures; small details appear with repeated readings."
The wonderful retro illustrations tell the story in this picture book in which the only words are the days of the week
Brilliant wordless picture book in a retro style. Comedy in pictures; small details appear with repeated readings.
One of the sweetest picture-only children's books that I've seen in a long time.
A wordless picture book.
The wonderful, retro, bold drawings/paintings are so great!
The wonderful, retro, bold drawings/paintings are so great!
Good wordless story, creative, good message. The illustrations told the story well.
Watch this one when it comes Caldecott time in January! Love this one.
For a book with very few words it was quite good.
Wordless book. Great read aloud.
Jul 29, 2011
Sandybear76
added it
didn't like this one.
Wordless. Touching.
Wordless and awesome.
Simply wonderful
Wordless
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Jeff Newman grew up in Ashland, Massachusetts, and attended the Art Institute of Boston. He currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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