Ready for School, Murphy?

May 11, 2015
Murphy (the character) is a shockheaded boy with a body mostly made up of circles and semicircles, and he is breaking out every metaphor in the book to avoid school: “I feel like I’ve got ants in my pants... and butterflies in my tummy.” These and other excuses seem largely designed to give Murphy (the author and artist) opportunities to show off his geometric aesthetic (he pixelates half of the boy’s body when he tells his father he might have a “computer virus”). The images are polished and clever, but there isn’t much in the way of real emotion in this story, which peters out with an overfamiliar “It’s Saturday!” zinger and an underwear gag. Ages 3–5. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content.

June 1, 2015
Worries over a doctor visit just may trump worries over going to school for one bigheaded, big-eyed, spiky-haired tyke. Murphy's worries start before the story does-on the endpapers, continuing through the copyright page-and include being in public in only his underwear, scary eyes waiting on a dark bus, and not knowing the answer to a math problem. So it's no surprise to readers when Murphy tells his dad's pajama-clad legs ("Peanuts"-like, the illustrations never show the adult's upper half), "Hmmm...maybe I should stay home from school today." His complaints include ants in his pants and butterflies in his tummy. But he downgrades his symptoms to heebie-jeebies or maybe goose bumps at the suggestion he might need a shot. Or perhaps it's a computer virus? The cure for that is so heinous that, dejected, he goes to get ready for school. Dad then shares with him the day of the week: Saturday. Unfortunately, one of Murphy's original worries still comes true, to readers' great delight. Bright colors, good use of thought bubbles, and the use of close-ups for effect combine to draw and keep readers' attention. Murphy himself is rather Mii-like, his head, hands, and feet basic shapes that are not connected to his tiny torso, adding to the humor. Readers' empathy for Murphy will be very strong even before the final page turn. (Picture book. 3-6)

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July 1, 2015
Murphy wakes one morning dreading the thought of going to school. He tries a variety of excuses ("ants in my pants"; "computer virus"), which are reflected literally in the crisp cartoony illustrations. Dad's witty responses ("We would have to...trade you in for a new model") convince Murphy to go, "but Murphy...It's Saturday." Like Murphy's excuses, this is a slight if amusing-enough offering.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)