A Very Cranky Book by Angela DiTerlizzi (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: A Very Cranky Book by Angela DiTerlizzi Natalie Berglind DiTerlizzi, Angela A Very Cranky Book; illus. by Tony DiTerlizzi. Quill Tree/HarperCollins, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063206670 $19.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad 3-7 yrs Cranky the book has opinions about being read, namely that it's "the worst idea in the HISTORY OF IDEAS." He's hopped down from the bookshelf to tell the viewer to leave and go do something else, like draw a picture, to which the viewer responds with a mocking drawing of Cranky in his crankiest pose. Cranky's announcement that story time is not happening today summons an alphabet book, a board book about cats, a joke book, a monster book, and a fairytale book, who begin [End Page 55] story time without Cranky as he sulks in the corner. But once Cranky starts to feel better, he rejoins the group, reassuring the viewer that he'll try his best not to be so cranky next time. Text mainly consists of speech bubbles, making the performative potential theoretically high, and details like Cranky ushering the viewer out a door toward a giant photorealistic T-rex are sure to garner some laughs. The backgrounds are desaturated and simple, consisting of a kid's room's messy bookshelf and split crayons, and realistic textures are used for Cranky and the other books, including an actual image of a cat and a pretty foil spine for the fairy tale book to contrast with their cartoonish expressions. However, the reliance on gender stereotypes, with the fairytale book being pink and effeminate and Cranky being blue, as well as negative stereotypes about physical appearance (the joke book is cross-eyed with uneven buck teeth) dates this book before its publication. Fenske's A Unicorn, a Dinosaur, and a Shark Walk Into a Book (BCCB 2/23) or Falatko's Snappsy the Alligator Did Not Ask to Be In This Book (BCCB 3/16) offer more contemporary nods to meta-fiction fun. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois