What A Trip!

by Arthur Yorinks, Richard Egielski (Illustrator)

From the author and illustrator of HEY, AL, winner of the Caldecott Medal

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

Arthur Yorinks is a playwright, director, and author of more than thirty-five picture books for children, including the Caldecott Medal–winning Hey, Al, illustrated by Richard Egielski. His most recent picture book is Presto and Zesto in Limboland, illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Arthur Yorinks lives in Cambridge, New York.

Reviews

[Dylan & Belle at LearnPlayFun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated and reviewed by Dylan, age 7

My favorite part was when he ran and tripped and fell into a new dimension. I tried to balance on one leg with my eyes closed and one finger touching my nose the way the boy did in the book but I can't seem to get it right.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd yet imaginative book about a kid who thinks he trips into another, pointy dimension while his parents just think he is clumsy. Maybe he's actually in the Twilight Zone, I don't know.

I did like the pages that folded into different pictures, those were fun.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A klutzy boy stumbles into a pointy alternate dimension, causing his mother to plotz.

[Sonja · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny interactive book. Hopefully my grandchildren will enjoy it.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty much one of the worst kids books I have ever read. The story is about a little boy named Mel, who trips and falls into another dimension. He escapes and runs home to tell his parents and his father states, "Mel, do something useful. Go wash the car." Later in the book the father tells Mel, "...when you grow up, your life can be garbage, just like mine". There are two pages that the reader is asked to fold in half to "make Mel disappear" or "reappear". One kind of works, the other, not at all. Not to mention the illustrations are VERY underwhelming. The book is due out in October 2008. I would highly recommend skipping it!

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

"One day, Mel, an ordinary boy, was walking down Tottenhotten Street, kicking a rock, when he tripped and fell into another dimension." So begins Mel's adventure. When he returns from the "pointy dimension", no one will believe that he has been away: no one at school and certainly not his parents. Mel becomes "obsessed with pointy things". So much so, his parents take him to the doctor, then send him to camp and then, Mel goes to the garbage dump with his father. It is at the dump, that he reenters the pointy dimension. Illustrations are bright and vibrant. Story is a little unsatisfying.

[Spencer Wanlass · Rating 2 out of 5]

What A Trip by Arthur Yorinks is about a young boy who falls into another dimension in which is the same world that he lives in, but all the lines are crazy jagged no circular lines. He goes back to his dimension and tells his parents about the other dimension. Obviously, his parents do no believe him, but he goes on with his life and tries everything he can do to return to this other dimension. I don't think I would read this book to kids because I found the book to be very slow moving and boring to read, even though the topic does sound really interesting.

[Sam Bloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another bizarre book from Yorinks and Egielski. I actually enjoyed this one more than "Hey, Al!" So how often have you had this happen... you're walking down the sidewalk, you trip over a rock, and suddenly you find yourself in another dimension, where everything is (wait for it)... pointy. Never happened to you? You've lived a charmed life, my friend. Read this book and live vicariously through Mel.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Falling into a different dimension has some interesting possibilities (Van Allsburg has a corner on that market), but this story never really takes off. Seeing on the cover flap that there are two scored pages that fold to reveal new pictures also peaked my interest - when I got to them, I was underwhelmed. I think I've got a pretty high tolerance for offbeat books, but this story and images were just confusing. Pass on this one.

[The Unabridged Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wonder if the author ever tried to explain to a four year-old what a Dimension is. I tried, in vain, to do so and my son was further upset by parents in the other "pointy" world who looked scary and didn't love their son. Not one I'd recommend to parents.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mel trips and disappears into the pointy dimension in this chaotic tale of unbelieving parents. Novelty of folding papers over to create two new pictures.

[Seashell · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little bizzar, confusing at times.

[Tina B · Rating 2 out of 5]

"trick pages, science fiction"

[Maeghan Nutmeg Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely bizarre. I loved folding the pages together to see different things going on! That was interesting.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it, because I, too, have tripped and fallen into another dimension.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storytelling just ins't very strong.