Boy Wonders

by Calef Brown

Have you ever wondered, pondered, quizzically thought?
Have questions and queries made you distraught?
If you have the need to inquire,
Then you might require
A book such as this.
(It’s not to be missed)
Pull up a chair, throw your hand in the air
He’ll answer your questions
…and answer with flare!

For all those "why why why" kid out there, Calef Brown has a few questions of his Is water scared of waterfalls? Are clam bakes good for bake sales? Are phones annoyed when no one calls? Do jealous clouds steal each other's thunder? Each question is wackier than the last and is sure to drum up some good laughs…there’s no question about that!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Poetry, Animals

40 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2011

Reviews

[Carmen]

Do bees get hives?
Do onions cry?
Is pepper apt to sneeze?
Do paper plates and two-by-fours remember being trees?

This book plays with the English language as if it were a toy.

If I'm too tired, am I a bike?

Kids who like language will be delighted by this book's wordplay and ugly but fun illustrations.

When in doubt, throw in a potty joke. Kids love potty humor.

If mud in a puddle makes it muddled,
do kiddie pools become piddled?

LOL Clever.

Tl;dr - Even though the illustrations are a bit ugly, this is a winner for any kid who likes puns or word jokes.

Ages 4-7.

[Melki]

Do all giraffes have high pitched laughs?

The inimitable Calef Brown presents some delightfully illustrated imponderables.
All in rhyme, of course!

Do bees get hives?
Do onions cry?
Is pepper apt to sneeze?
Do paper plates
and two-by-fours
remember being trees?

If mud in a puddle
makes it muddled,
do kiddie pools
become piddled?

I can't get enough
of this guy's stuff!

[Danielle]

I liked the illustrations better than the text in this one. Sadly I'm never a huge fan of nonsense, so it's just not for me. Some of the questions begged to be answered, others seemed kind of obtuse.

[Clare]

A good book to give young questioning boys... my brother would have loved it as a kid. Word-plays and wonderings abound, all of them nonsense based upon sense... just the way they like it.

[Molly]

This would be great for elementary school students. A wealth of language, expressions and rhymes.

[Shawna]

Cleverly written, although some parts don't quite work. Good book to use for vocabulary and figurative language.

[Katie Fitzgerald]

Boy Wonders is a picture book that contains not a story per se, but a collection of questions that play with words and encourage kids to think outside the box. The boy who narrates the story opens by asking:

May I ask you something?
Are you ever perplexed?
Completely vexed?
Do you have questions?
Queries?
Odd theories?

Then he goes on to tell us of his own "ponderings," which include such questions as:

Do paper plates and two by fours remember being trees?
Do all giraffes have high pitched laughs?
If mud in a puddle makes it muddled, do kiddie pools become piddled?

The book is written mostly in rhyme, and one question leads to another, which leads to yet another in a rapid-fire chain of events that happens as quickly as a sudden brainstorm. The illustrations - colorful, absurd, and whimsical portray each of the strange concepts named in the text, which itself is printed in unique and varied fonts.

This is definitely a book for older kids, and most likely not for the usual picture book audience. I can see it working really well in classroom settings where kids are learning to brainstorm ideas before beginning a writing or art project. It's also got a lot of great vocabulary in it. Though the rhyming is sometimes obnoxiously obvious, concepts like former and latter and words such as apt, forage, wherewithal, cantankerous, and scuttled are all great words kids might not be familiar with. The book also explores alternate meanings of words and plays with language to create new meanings.

Pair it with other books about creative thinking, such as Oh the Thinks You Can Think by Dr. Seuss, What If? by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, and It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw, to encourage great discussions with and among kids.

[Tara]

"Boy Wonders" may be a case where trying too hard to be clever backfires and becomes eye-rollingly annoying to grown-up readers. However, it will probably amuse pre-k through grade 2 reader/listeners. Calef Brown's illustrations are by far the highlight of this book, his acrylic paintings bring a great energy and folk-abstract charm to each page. If you can get past lines such as: "Is there any truth to the old myth that gargoyles use garlic oil to gargle with" and "Are baked clams okay for clambakes and bake sales alike", then you'll more than likely enjoy reading the rest of Brown's quirky, oddly rhythmic book.

[Barbara]

There's plenty about which to wonder when considering the world around us, and in this clever book written in rhyming text, a boy does, indeed, wonder, about all manner of things from whether onions cry or phones are annoyed when no one calls to how questions make others feel. There is much wordplay to enjoy in the book's pages as the author messes around with words such as ladder and latter and forage and porridge. The acrylic illustrations add to the fun, insuring that this one will get more than a second look from readers.

[Angie]

Perfect for a vocabulary lesson and the illustrations really make the book. Calef Brown is a favorite for painterly, whimsical illustrations and if these look familiar check out his website. He is a freelance illustrator with many very well known corporate clients. Chances are you've seen his work somewhere. It's what drew me in when I ordered this book for my library's collection. His children's books are 100% terrific especially for sections on poetry that is silly and thought provoking. This title is the same high standard I've come to expect from Brown. Well done.

[TW Mystery Reader]

A young boy's questions lead to more and more questions, but there do not seem to be any answers.

I would classify this book as poetic and clever; mildly humorous. It has excellent rhyme and a good play with language. The illustrations are wonderful and add to the humor. Younger children may be lost by the play on words, but 3rd graders will enjoy it.

I recommend the reader practice reading this book aloud to get a sense of the cadence of the language. Some lines are tongue-twisters!

[Magila]

2.5

Things I liked:

Illustrations.
Some rhymes.
The idea.

Thing I didn't like:

Wretch-inducing puns that were a tremendous stretch.

The problem was, I didn't like that one thing so much! There was so much promise with this book, I was bummed that it didn't deliver. It was almost like the author had 2/3 of this awesome book, and then stuffed some garbage-o in there to fill it out.

Borrow it.

[Linda]

I do wonder myself why this is only about a boy? Yet it is a clever book, showing all kinds of wonderings, sometimes punning, sometimes rhyming. The book is filled with action in the doodle-like drawings, set in colorful backgrounds. A young boy wanders through the pages, wondering things like “Are baked clams okay for clambakes and bake sales alike?” or “If I’m too tired, am I a bike?” It’s a terrific book for introducing questions and wonderings!

[Nancy]

Taking language to that place where it is part sculpture, part music, part checkers: "If mud in a puddle makes it muddled, do kiddie pools become piddled?"
Sometimes I can't decide if these are groaningly clever or wonderfully so: "If I'm too tired, am I a bike?"
Some of are so fun I'm in love: "Does it take courage to make porridge in a village where bears forage?"

[Boni]

Although I think a lot of the concepts/questions/ponderings here will go over kids' heads, and some of the "wonders" are led by the rhyme, the wordplay and rhythm are magnificent and this is a really fun book to read aloud.

[Edward Sullivan]

Whacky questions and strange illustrations.

[Stefani]

I enjoyed the word play and thought-provoking questions, regardless of how silly. I didn't always get the rhythm to the rhyme, but this would fit well for older kids and in classroom discussions.

[Melissa]

Not my book, that's all. Plus all I can think of when I see the cover is that old Aztec Camera song.

[Jamie]

I love this book! I can't wait to share it with my students. It is a great QUESTION book.

[N]

Really want to confuse someone learning English as second language? Here you go... or if you like adventurous rhyme schemes and playing with words you might keep it for yourself.

[Stacy Ford]

I will use this when starting a guided inquiry lesson or big think unit.

[Kim]

cute picture book for older kids. The boy in the book wonders about many things such as "do bees get hives" and "{do all giraffes have high pitched laughs"

[Mary]

Good book for 3rd to 5th graders, with big words to increase their vocabulary. It may work for school-age storytime.

[Kristin]

I really enjoyed reading the questions of this inquisitive boy. My favorite was: Do clouds get jealous during storms, and steal each other's thunder?

[Kim Patton]

Question upon question using large vocabulary to make humorous rhymes. While I didn't know if she'd even understand half of it because of the vocabulary, my kindergarten daughter enjoyed it.

[Joellen Mccarthy]

This will be a great mentor texts to use to connect with and use to introduce - Wonderopolis. Inquiring minds will enjoy the possibilities and be ready for wonders of the day .

[Peacegal]

Nice illustrations...but I pity the person who has to read it aloud.

[Paula]

A young boy's questions lead to more and more questions, but there do not seem to be any answers.

[Teaghan Lowe]

This is an interesting book! It is a book about a boy who has many questions. He asks many questions about silly things he thinks about throughout the day. He is always thinking and is always curious. This could be a fun book to read aloud as it has interesting vocabulary. The children would have a hard time understanding this book if it was in the classroom library. The book does have unique illustrations and could be fun/encourage curiosity!

[Anna Tharp]

This book uses challenging language to ask silly questions about random things in the world, however it is slightly confusing to understand and doesn't really have a lesson besides being entertaining. Students might enjoy this as something to laugh at if they are able to understand, however it was not my favorite. The author is trying to encourage imagination and asking questions about things in the world, which can be beneficial to children.