Keep an Eye on Ivy

by Barroux

Overview

A hilarious picture book that young readers will devour, with a pop-up finale that will surprise everyone!

Sometimes we are lucky enough to receive a gift that exceeds all the rest and Ivy is one of those gifts! Ivy is a plant, but not just any a plant, an exotic one that needs care and attention every day. Hopefully, on Monday when the family is away, our sister can take care of Ivy. On Tuesday, our sister has disappeared, and our grandfather takes care of Ivy. On Wednesday, when our sister and grandfather have both disappeared, our grandmother takes care of Ivy. Day after day, Ivy grows bigger and bigger, while the house becomes more and more empty . . .

From internationally renowned author Barroux comes a beautifully illustrated book that will captivate young readers. A book filled with humor and twists that will keep children guessing until the surprise pop-up at the end!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500652534
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	11/10/2020
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Barroux has illustrated several picture books, favoring illustrations that are painted in acrylic, outlined in ballpoint pen, and shaded with pencil.

Editorial Reviews

"Little Shop of Horrors for the Oshkosh set... Good for any time a mildly scary story is in order"

From the Publisher

2020-11-27
Little Shop of Horrors for the Oshkosh set.

The delighted young narrator of this French import understands that they need to care for the small potted plant they receive as a birthday gift. But being a busy kid, they ask sister Susie to watch it on Monday while they’re off to judo class. On Tuesday they ask Grandpa to tend to the somewhat larger plant for a bit, since Susie is nowhere around. On Wednesday, it’s Grandma’s turn, since Grandpa’s evidently out…and so it goes, as family members vanish one by one while Ivy grows in successive scenes into a vine-y green tangle sporting a gape-mouthed, Pac-Man–style pod. (Sharp-eyed viewers will spot Susie’s saxophone and other clues to what’s going on in the background.) When at last the kid wonders aloud where everyone is, the pod lunges out with a startling page-turn pop-up, and (with another turn) everything goes black. Happily, no one’s actually been digested, and in the next picture they are all back out in the light, looking on with annoyed expressions as the kid delivers a stern lecture to Ivy: “It’s rude to swallow people without asking first!” Barroux lays down color highlights with broad, energetic brush strokes but draws the family’s heads as unfilled outlines with dot-eyed features, so the human cast is paper white.

Good for any time a mildly scary story is in order. (Picture book/novelty. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews