The Arguers

by Corinna Luyken, Corinna Luyken (Illustrator)

Overview

A delightfully preposterous and original fairy tale about a community that forgets how to get along, by the celebrated creator of The Book of Mistakes

The first argument was over a brush and a comb, and which would be better for taking a tangle out of the king's beard. Next came the argument over letters, and then over spoons . . . and soon they argued all the time, and no one could remember when the arguing had started or over what or by whom. They only knew that they had always argued, and that they did it well. Very, very well.

And so it was that the king and queen decided to hold a contest to choose the very best arguer in the land. But what will happen when everyone is so busy arguing that they can't even hear the queen announce the start of the contest?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984814425
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/27/2025
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.75(h) x 0.39(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Corinna Luyken is the author/illustrator of four previous picture books, The Tree in Me (an NCTE Notable Poetry Book and Indie Bestseller), My Heart (a New York Times Best Seller), ABC and You and Me, and The Book of Mistakes (which the Wall Street Journal called "sublime"), and the illustrator of several other books, including Patchwork and Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse. She lives in Western Washington, near the Salish Sea, with her family.

Editorial Reviews

02/24/2025

In the quarrelsome kingdom where this picture book is set, the thing common to all inhabitants is their elaborately coiffed, flowing hairstyles. Similarity aside, it’s a full-on battle royale: what starts as a spat about the effectiveness of brush versus comb in detangling the king’s serpentine beard expands across the kingdom until everyone “could argue forward and backward, right side up, and upside down.” Luyken (The Tree in Me) adds that the opponents quarrel in all weather, and relish arguing not only with each other but also with flowers, fences, doorknobs, the wind—“even with the smallest of stones in the road.” Soon, the royals hold a contest to decide who’s the realm’s best arguer, but when the king’s luxuriant beard catches fire, everyone quickly forgets their differences and becomes part of an impromptu bucket brigade. As the kingdom’s residents move from clashes to cooperation via an elegant, classic fairy tale tone, watercolor, ink, pencil, and gouache drawings combine the prickly energy of Ralph Steadman with the swooping lines of art nouveau style. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Luyken’s storytelling charms with whimsy and dry wit, and her illustrations steal the show with enormous, elaborate hairstyles, bedecked in bows or crowned with oversize hats. The over-the-top
Regency styling, paired with a multiracial cast of characters, delights with Bridgerton-esque appeal.
Thoroughly enchanting, without argument." —Kirkus

"Elegant, classic fairy tale tone, watercolor, ink, pencil, and gouache drawings combine the prickly energy of Ralph Steadman with the swooping lines of art nouveau style." —Publishers Weekly

"There's an other worldly delight to the strange world Luyken has crafted, made wondrous by the vivid, fine-lined illustrations depicting countless arguers in a wonderful sort of Victorian circus fashion, all topped with long, extravagantly styled hairdos. This is art that can be pored over time and time again, and young readers will jump at the chance to argue themselves, prompted or not.
Strangely beautiful." —Booklist

2025-02-01
The Arguers—staffers who serve a royal family—take pleasure in bickering over even the smallest things until a crisis brings them together.

The first argument begins with a dispute over whether to detangle the king’s copious beard with a brush or a comb. From there, the Arguers find ways to disagree with one another about everything from how to decorate the princess’s throne to which spoon to use to serve noodles to the queen’s hounds. When they can’t quarrel with each other, they squabble with stones and flowers. Proud of their talents, they hold a competition to determine who’s the best arguer in the kingdom. Of course, when the contest begins, everyone’s already too busy arguing to notice. Then a storm strikes, and a bolt of lightning sets the king’s beard ablaze. Faced with a real emergency, everyone works together without a word of dissent. They form a bucket brigade, douse the flames, and trim the king’s scorched beard. Although the Arguers promptly revert back to their old ways, they’ve shown that they can cooperate when it truly counts. Luyken’s storytelling charms with whimsy and dry wit, and her illustrations steal the show with enormous, elaborate hairstyles, bedecked in bows or crowned with oversize hats. The over-the-top Regency styling, paired with a multiracial cast of characters, delights withBridgerton-esque appeal.

Thoroughly enchanting, without argument.(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews