Places to Be

by Mac Barnett, Renata Liwska (Illustrator)

Overview

From the award-winning, bestselling Mac Barnett and Renata Liwska comes a classic and luminous book perfect for fans of The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood and Waiting by Kevin Henkes.

With an elegant simplicity, this picture book celebrates all our wide-ranging emotions—and the adventures that await us each day.

We have so many places to be!

Places to be loud

and lovely

and scared

and jubilant.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062286215
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/04/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mac Barnett is a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages. His picture books include two Caldecott Honor–winning collaborations with Jon Klassen: Sam & Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn. Among his other popular books are I Love You Like a Pig, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli, and The Magic Word, illustrated by Elise Parsley. He lives in Oakland, California. You can visit him online at macbarnett.com.

Renata Liwska grew up in Warsaw, Poland, and now lives in Calgary, Alberta. She is the illustrator of The Quiet Book and The Loud Book!, both written by Deborah Underwood and both New York Times bestsellers. For The Quiet Book, Renata Liwska was awarded the 2010 Society of Illustrators Gold Medal and was named a 2010 Governor General’s Literary Award finalist. Visit her online at www.renataliwska.com.

Editorial Reviews

02/20/2017
Barnett (The Magic Word) can be laugh-out-loud funny, but this sweet-tempered ode to friendship tips its hat to gentler classics like A Hole Is to Dig. “Hurry up! We have places to be,” Barnett writes, as the two fuzzy bears race down a road on a bike and skateboard. From there, he unleashes a stream of emotions and states of being that offer a many-sided portrait of what friendships look like. “We have places to be careful,” he writes as Liwska (Waiting for Snow) pictures the bears walking and texting, one heading for an open manhole. “We have places to be bored” shows the same bear laid up in a leg cast (the other rides a Ferris wheel outside). Other cause-and-effect vignettes appear throughout, captured with warm humor in Liwska’s soft brush-and-ink artwork. Neither bear is braver or better than the other; sometimes one knows what to do, sometimes the other takes the lead. In this cozy readaloud, friends stay true to each other no matter what. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Funny and gentle” — Kirkus Reviews

“This winning read-aloud can be used to encourage friendship in young children.” — School Library Journal

“A sweet and gentle contrast to Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” — Booklist

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “Understated illustrations and prose seamlessly construct an enchanting and mysterious tale.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “Klassen’s deadpan, stylized illustrations impeccably complement Barnett’s quirky droll writing.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “There’s nothing to say but perfect.” — Lane Smith, New York Times bestselling author of IT'S A BOOK

Praise for SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE: “A clever second collaboration between Barnett and Klassen...The prose is deadpan; the joke’s all in Klassen’s winsomely smudgy illustrations.” — New York Times Book Review

Praise for SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE: “”Mind-blowing in the best possible way.” — Horn Book (starred review)

Praise for SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE: “Barnett’s comic voice is at its driest as he recounts that quintessential American childhood activity—the digging of the giant hole.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for LEO: A GHOST STORY: “A tender, touching story of friendship and the power of imagination.” — Booklist (starred review)

Praise for LEO: A GHOST STORY: “A warm and wise story about acceptance trumping difference.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for LEO: A GHOST STORY: “A whimsical tale from Barnett aptly accompanied by enthralling artwork by Robinson.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for LEO: A GHOST STORY: “Dazzling.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for THE SKUNK: “Gives off a deliciously Hitchockian air of high style and deep-seated dread. . . a story that speaks to the urbane existentialist/absurdist lurking in the heart of every reader.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for THE SKUNK: “Clever visual motifs, sly storytelling, and tight pacing make this a picture book that will be enjoyed by both children and their grown-ups.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for THE SKUNK: “McDonnell’s graceful and simple cartoonlike illustrations mitigate the notes of paranoia and obsession in Barnett’s deadpan text.” — Horn Book (starred review)

Praise for THE SKUNK: “A daffy yet stylish readaloud with surprising performance possibilities.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

From the Publisher

Praise for LEO: A GHOST STORY: “A tender, touching story of friendship and the power of imagination.

Booklist (starred review)

Praise for SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE: “A clever second collaboration between Barnett and Klassen...The prose is deadpan; the joke’s all in Klassen’s winsomely smudgy illustrations.

New York Times Book Review

Praise for SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE: “”Mind-blowing in the best possible way.

Horn Book (starred review)

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “There’s nothing to say but perfect.

Lane Smith

A sweet and gentle contrast to Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Booklist

Praise for THE SKUNK: “A daffy yet stylish readaloud with surprising performance possibilities.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

A sweet and gentle contrast to Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Booklist

Praise for THE SKUNK: “A daffy yet stylish readaloud with surprising performance possibilities.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

03/01/2017
PreS-Gr 1—Two young bear friends go on many adventures. The cubs can be seen staring upward and observing shapes in the sky. They help an older bear after he drops his groceries. They sneak a few cookies in a hiding spot. The bears also tell stories, build things, and take part in a variety of other daily activities. Throughout, the friends express and share a range of feelings, such as happiness, sorrow, tension, and joy. The book's whimsical pastel artwork provides a dreamlike feel, and the use of curved lines adds a sense of movement and dimension. The characters' expressions pair well with the words chosen to illustrate each scene. This work highlights the beauty and complex nature of friendship. The soothing narrative shows friendship as constant despite changing circumstance. VERDICT This winning read-aloud can be used to encourage friendship in young children.—Deanna Smith, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

2017-02-04
Two ungendered fox siblings—or perhaps friends—have all sorts of places to be."Hurry up! We have places to be," calls a brown fox to a smaller, blue fox. A hill to speed down on a bike is a place "to be loud"; a worm-filled patch of earth is a place "to be muddy." There's a place "to be beastly"—a seesaw the brown fox holds down at one end, singing (barely visible musical notes hover), forcing the blue fox to struggle to mount the seesaw's high side. The next place, naturally, is a place "to be mad." Observant readers will see scene connections that the text never mentions, such as the cause and effect of "places to be careful"—they walk, riveted by their cellphones, near an uncovered manhole—and "places to be bored," which shows the brown fox's leg in traction. The fate of the brown fox's skateboard is also undiscussed in the text: the board breaks early on at the skate park, and that arc finds late satisfaction. These subtle threads create continuity inside an otherwise episodic, poetic piece. The brown fox and the blue fox are close—the blue fox even seems more "jubilant" to see the brown fox approaching than to see fireworks, though the ice cream that the brown fox carries may also be relevant. Low-saturation colors make for a peaceful vibe, while Liwska's brush-and-ink crosshatchings render the foxes' fur constantly windblown, adding bustle and energy. Funny and gentle. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews