A LITTLE BIT OF OOMPH!
by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg
Emphatic colors and overall tone, plus transformations worked in part by inventive paper engineering, punch up a series of inspirational slogans in this follow-up to Beautiful Oops! (2010).
“Make something ordinary” trumpets the first opening in huge letters…but that final word is on a flap that, lifted, reveals a flashy change to “EXTRAordinary.” Likewise, “Help little seeds grow” adds “into beautiful flowers” with a 3-D bouquet. Spinning a wheel moves the “o” in “curiosity” into the middle of “disc-very,” and pulling a tab after “Put your heart into everything you do!” adds and subtracts letters to give “nothing is impossible” an even more positive inflection: “everything is possible.” A final double-gatefold parade of cartoon animals marching through flowers and stars cranks the exuberance to fever pitch with “YOU CAN MAKE ANYTHING BEAUTIFUL!” While it lacks the thematic integrity and friendly collegiality of Beautiful Oops!, there’s no denying the book’s sincerity and enthusiasm.
A heaping helping of abstract uplift.
(Pop-up/picture book. 5-15)