METAL MAN

It’s a hot and sticky city summer day, and Devon knows that metal man Mitch is hard at work. Even though his mama thinks Mitch just makes junk (and needs a real job), Devon finds the acceptance he longs for in Mitch’s workshop. “When I hang out with the metal man, I get it right. / I see what I see. / Not like school.” Reynolds’s free-verse poem overflows with similes, and picture-book readers may find it difficult to follow along, but Hoppe’s kinetic mixed-media illustrations have a raw grittiness that well represents the metal man’s work. While the characters’ faces, when flat or in profile, are not as strong, moments of intense action spring to life. In one image, the forced perspective dynamically captures the metal man as he leans into his work, the energy of the moment bursting forth from the page. Though the story is labored throughout, the succinct and meaningful ending finds Devon realizing that perhaps, underneath all the “crud,” something shiny and ferocious lies. (Picture book. 6-8)