Around the Clock - Hardcover

Roz Chast is a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker and is the illustrator of Steve Martin’s popular children’s book The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children. She is also the author and illustrator of Too Busy Marco, Marco Goes to School, and Around the Clock.

Roz Chast is a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker and is the illustrator of Steve Martin’s popular children’s book The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children. She is also the author and illustrator of Too Busy Marco, Marco Goes to School, and Around the Clock.

K-Gr 3—New Yorker cartoonist Chast presents a zany, hour-by-hour look at the activities of 23 different kids. A simple sentence in verse describes each child ("From 8 to 9, please observe Ricky:/Why does his toothpaste taste so icky?"), but the off-the-wall mayhem of Chast's illustrations is what makes this quirky offering stand out. Some of the antics are downright odd ("From 11 to 12, though no one can see him,/Dave is planning a sock museum"), while others are more conventional ("From 2 to 3, Ian's in school./Long division can be so cruel."). However, the manic, bug-eyed expressions of the children and humorously bizarre details in the spreads (Steve setting the table for his mother—with a saw, scissors, and a hammer) infuse each of the examples with a surreal tone. Wild, frantic, even neurotic, these caricaturelike figures aren't typical picture book fare, but they'll elicit more than a few laughs. Riffing on Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, the conclusion loops back to the first verse in a sly twist that readers young and old will appreciate. Though nothing here is inappropriate, a sophisticated, even adult sense of humor runs through the book. While some may find this title a bit disconcerting, most should see it as good, ridiculous fun, and future fans of alternative comic artists will eat this one right up.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal