Smoot: A Rebellious Shadow

by Michelle Cuevas, Sydney Smith (Illustrator)

Overview

A brave shadow finds a more colorful life in this joyous picture book by the acclaimed author of The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles and illustrator of Sidewalk Flowers.
 
Smoot the shadow has been living a yawn-filled life for years. His boy never laughs and never leaps, so Smoot never does either . . . until the day he pops free, and decides to hit the road in search of the life he dreams about. And as he enjoys his first colorful day—singing, dancing, and playing—other shadows watch him, and they become brave, too. The frog's shadow takes the shape of a prince, the dragonfly's shadow that of a dragon. Even the rock's shadow gets in on the excitement. But what will become of the timid beings their shadows have left behind? Will they finally be inspired to find their own daring?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525429692
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/12/2017
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Michelle Cuevas graduated from Williams College and holds a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from the University of Virginia. She lives in Massachusetts.
 
Sydney Smith was born in Nova Scotia and has a BFA in drawing and printmaking from NSCAD University. He is an award-winning children's book illustrator whose work can sometimes also be found in magazines and on festival posters and album covers. Sydney also plays a little banjo, stands on his hands, and can ride his bike really fast. He lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and baby'son.

Editorial Reviews

…Sydney Smith's illustrations have a sort of effortless freedom that belies the careful pacing and thoughtful page designs.

The New York Times Book Review - Frank Viva

07/17/2017
Smoot is a shadow attached to a boy whose life is terribly dull: “Every day they brushed the same teeth, frowned the same frown, and drew the same pictures—always staying perfectly inside the lines.” While Smoot’s life is boring, Smith’s ink, brush, and watercolor portraits are anything but. To emphasize Smoot’s inky blackness, Smith (The White Cat and the Monk) keeps the colors bright and contrast high; tiled roofs and cobbled streets give the city backdrop a European feel. One day Smoot comes unstuck from his boy and seizes his new freedom, jumping rope in the park, riding a carousel, and dashing through a landscape of wild splashes of watercolor. When other bored shadows jump at the chance to live out their own suppressed dreams, Smoot must persuade them all to return. The shadow’s change of heart is a bit convenient, but Cuevas’s (The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles) writing sparkles. Smoot’s condition as a shadow parallels the way most humans are tethered to inescapable obligations. When his boy breaks out and starts to live large, it’s easy to share Smoot’s joy. Ages 4–8. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Smoot: A Rebellious Shadow

* "Cuevas' plotline radiates freshness and celebrates the rewards of risk-taking. . . .  Not since Peter Pan's has a shadow commanded such well-deserved attention." —Kirkus, starred review

* "Just like Smoot and the boy, the text and illustrations of this book fit together seamlessly. . . . Smith's inky shadows and bright watercolor washes are imbued with lively movement, which perfectly capture Smoot's boundless energy. Inspiring without being at all sappy, Smoot's rebellion produces rich results." —Booklist, starred review

"A delightful read-aloud." —School Library Journal

"A modern fairy tale (of sorts) that . . . visually shines."  —Horn Book

From the Publisher

08/01/2017
K-Gr 2—A bored shadow cuts loose and explores the wider world. Tired of being bound to a young boy and having to "[brush] the same teeth, [frown] the same frown, and [draw] the same pictures—always staying perfectly inside the line," Smoot the shadow dreams of singing "canary-yellow songs" and dancing "in wildflower red." When he's suddenly popped free of his boy, he skips rope in the playground with a pair of kids, rides a merry-go-round, and climbs a tall tree—all captured in a six-page wordless sequence. The other shadows see all the fun Smoot's having and decide to join the rebellion. A frog's shadow takes the shape of a haughty prince, a dragonfly's shadow transforms into a fearsome fire-breathing dragon, and the seemingly humble shadow of a rock morphs into a towering castle. The shadows are having more fun than their owners! Just when it seems as if the entire world's population of shadows will leave their natural places, Smoot helps bring them back where they belong and, in the process, helps the shadow's owners—and his own boy—live life more fully. Confident storytelling and humorous details ("He packed a few things—some shade, some moonlight, a change of underpants—and hit the road.") make for a delightful read-aloud. Smith's loose line and fluid ink and watercolors perfectly capture the ever-so-slightly mischievous and joyful tone of Cuevas's text. Thick black crayon defines Smoot and his fellow shadowkind. VERDICT Young readers will be hooked by the beguiling premise and respond to the gently delivered message about living life with intention and imagination.—Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

★ 2017-06-14
In the middle of a city filled with Old World stuccoed walls and tiled roofs, a boy's shadow yearns to break free. "If life is a book, then Smoot the Shadow had been reading the same yawn-colored page for seven and a half years." The light-skinned boy connected to the protagonist—clad in shorts, jacket, and baseball cap—leads a rigid, mostly black-and-white life; he colors inside the lines. Smoot (a blend of "smudge" and "soot"?) finally breaks free. As the shadow wordlessly, gleefully skips rope, rides a carousel, and climbs a tree, the boy is ever watchful from the margins. Inspired, other shadows follow their dreams: a frog's shadow turns into a prince, and a dragonfly's breathes fire. Imagining unintended consequences were this to continue, Smoot quickly finds satisfying, child-sized solutions for his restless counterparts and reunites with his boy, whose own spark has been ignited. Cuevas' plotline radiates freshness and celebrates the rewards of risk-taking. Smith has a keen understanding of the power of the contrast between blackness and color. Employing ink and watercolor, he skillfully exploits this dynamic to both foreground the silhouetted characters and, in concert with decisions about when to use frames or full bleeds and controlled lines or looser strokes, to underscore the distinctions between a constricted and unfettered existence. Not since Peter Pan's has a shadow commanded such well-deserved attention. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews