Edgar's Second Word

by Audrey Vernick, Priscilla Burris (Illustrator)

Overview

Hazel can’t wait for her baby brother to be born so she can talk and read with him! But when, at last, he arrives, he just sits there. More disappointing yet, when he finally speaks, his first word is a resounding NO! But Hazel resolves to wait some more—despite the ever-increasing NOs—and she keeps on reading aloud to him. Will Edgar ever say anything else? And if he does, what will his second word be? 
     The magic of sharing books is at the center of this hilarious new baby story that will resonate with book lovers and any child who has trouble waiting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547684642
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/03/2014
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Audrey Vernick is author of several novels and many picture books, including Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team. She lives with her family near the ocean in New Jersey. Visit her online at audreyvernick.com and on Twitter @yourbuffalo.

Priscilla Burris is the illustrator of many mass market picture books as well as the popular Heidi Heckelbeck chapter book series by Wanda Coven. Edgar's Second Word is her first picture book in a new, charming style. She lives in Southern California and can also be found at www.priscillaburris.com.

Editorial Reviews

Vernick has a lovely turn of phrase, and Edgar's Second Word is a good choice for book-loving children who yearn not just to be read to, but to read.

The New York Times - Sarah Harrison Smith

"Playful narration and amusing artwork will prompt readers to say, just like Edgar, "Again." —Kirkus "This is a fresh take on an age-old tale that will offer plenty of story- and family-time laughs." —Bulletin   —

From the Publisher

05/01/2014
PreS-Gr 2—As Hazel looks forward to the birth of a baby brother, she gathers books to share with him and practices reading aloud to her stuffed bunny. Once Edgar arrives, she is frustrated because he cannot respond to her reading with his own words: "Mostly he pointed. And grunted." Then Hazel and her mother rejoice when Edgar speaks his first word, "No." At the end of a long day of no's, they wearily prepare for bed and are thrilled to hear Edgar's second word. The ending delivers a pleasant surprise but will not sustain repeated readings. The distinctive digital illustrations depict a loving, cheerful family. The slight, sweet story touches on but doesn't emphasize a baby's natural acquisition of language through grunts, coos, finger points, smiles, and babble and how those who surround the toddler support that language acquisition. Anna McQuinn's Lola Reads to Leo (Charlesbridge, 2012) is a better choice.—Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI

School Library Journal

2014-04-30
Baby Edgar's first word ("NO!") drives his sister crazy, especially since she waited so long to hear it.Curly-headed Hazel, eager to share books and playtime with her lump of a brother, shines as a refreshing foil to the snarling older sibling whose resentment simmers in so many picture books these days. Hazel's failed attempts to play school, store, farm, (or even to squeeze the "squeaky-honky-quacky duck") with little Edgar evoke empathy from readers and a stream of NO!s from the tiny (but mighty) tot. Hand lettering makes Edgar's NO!s seem LOUD even to a silent reader. After a whole day of insistent negativity (screeching scenes shown on crisp white pages), she's about ready to give up on brother bonding. Mother manages to smile through spilled cereal, botched bathtime and even a loud library run, and fluid ink-and-watercolor illustrations offer lots of optimistic springtime colors (greens, yellows, purples), as well as a serene matte finish. Plucky, pitch-perfect kid vernacular keeps the story upbeat too, full of silly run-on descriptors; Hazel hopes that Edgar goes from a "pointing, grunting watermelon" to a "not-no-saying lamb of a ram." Exhausted by his own naysaying, Edgar finds himself settled on Hazel's lap for a bedtime read—and offers a second word that finally brings them together.Playful narration and amusing artwork will prompt readers to say, just like Edgar, "Again." (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews