This is a charming miniature study in human behavior. In spare retro-like illustrations Anthony does his best to capture the attention of a pair of little girls, but to no avail. Try as he might, not a flicker of interest can he garner, until the structure he is building collapses. As his tears burst forth, amends are made with an offer of a cookie and invitation to join the sandbox fun. This very sweet tale is translated from the German by Nancy Seitz.

Anthony has a bucket, a shovel, and a really big car. But the
girls playing in the sandbox don’t look. They don’t even look
when attention-seeking Anthony does his best trick. Is there
nothing he can do to turn their heads his way?

 

In dazzlingly deadpan text and art, Ole Könnecke hilariously
demonstrates how easy it is to stumble when trying too hard to
make a splash. After all, as parents know and children will
learn, it’s not about what you’ve got but about how much heart.

"Packs a lot into its pages.  Tongue-in-cheek captions will entertain adults as much as children."  --Starred, Publishers Weekly

 

"A wry episode in social interaction."  -- Kirkus Reviews

 

"Young playground habitués will appreciate the gently humorous treatment of the important subject of playground dynamics."  --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

 

"Winsome."  --Booklist

OLE KÖNNECKE lives in Hamburg, Germany.

Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Distributor: MPS
Publication Date: 02-21-2006
Pages: 32
Measurements: 10.00in X 10.50in