  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 11/15/2015 *Starred Review* Dennis sees the world a little differently from his classmates. When everyone comes in for show-and-tell, Dennis doesn’t say a word—he mimes. Every day, he dresses up like a mime, complete with a tall black hat, a white-painted face, and a tiny red heart pinned to his black-and-white shirt. But sometimes, being a little bit different means you’re also a little lonely. Until one day, he sadly kicks an imaginary ball . . . and a girl named Joy catches it. Yoon, no stranger to odd-couple friendships (see Penguin and Pinecone, 2012), has changed tactics, creating a story about two people who just happen to see the world in a complementary way. She uses color to great effect: the “regular kids” are in full color, but Dennis, wearing black and white, appears on a tan background, a dotted red line illustrating all of his mimed actions. When Joy—subtly dressed in a black-and-white polka-dotted dress with a red belt—appears, the two mime a tug-of-war, seesawing, and catch with that same red line. Refreshingly, this story is not about overcoming shy or unusual behavior: no one ever makes Dennis speak, and no one teases him for the way he chooses to express himself. A sweet, visually striking story of friendship and acceptance. - Copyright 2015 Booklist. School Library Journal - 02/01/2016 PreS-K—A lonely little mime finds a friend in this charmingly illustrated work by the author of Found (2014) and Penguin and Pinecone (2012, both Bloomsbury). Beginning on the end pages, readers are introduced to the silent pantomime routines of Dennis, "an ordinary boy…who expressed himself in EXTRAORDINARY ways." Donning a black-and-white striped shirt with a pinned-on heart, an enormous black top hat, white gloves, and face paint, Dennis speaks not a single word (even in school), instead miming during show and tell. Later on the playground, while the other kids skip rope, climb trees, or play ball, Dennis pretends. But the miniature mime soon feels lonely and invisible, "as if he were standing on the other side of a wall." When an observant little girl catches his make-believe ball, the two discover that friends need not speak a word in order to communicate and connect. The themes of individuality and acceptance are familiar picture book territory; it's the art and design that truly shine in this work—in fact, the story can easily be interpreted by pre-readers through the pictures alone. In a departure from the black-lined and thickly applied paints she has used in previous books, here Yoon displays a light and graceful line, delicate penciled shadows, a subdued palette, and thoughtful visual touches. Cleverly, Yoon employs dashed red lines to show viewers the "invisible" objects Dennis uses in his performances, such as a rope, a box, and a bicycle. A spread with four vignettes, each contained in a vintage photo-style frame, lend the book a warm and nostalgic feel. VERDICT Delightful artwork buoys this quiet celebration of imagination, uniqueness, and friendship.—Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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