Maxi the Hero

MAXI, THE HERO by Debra & Sal Barracca, and illustrated by Mark Buehner, is a 31 page medium format book. Every other page has an illustration, but there are three 2-page spreads with illustrations going all the way across. The entire story takes place in lower Manhattan, as is evident from the paintings of the Brooklyn Bridge, a street sign reading WALL STREET, another street sign reading HOUSTON STREET, the Flatiron Building, and the Chrysler Tower. Houston Street is distinguished by the fact that it is at the northern border that defines the SoHo district ("South of Houston") where all the art galleries are found. The story takes place over the course of one day, in the manner of ULYSSES by James Joyce. But there, the resemblance ends. The first illustration shows Jim the taxi driver waking up, while his dog fetches Jim's cap. The plot consists of various adventures, some mild (one passenger is a chef carrying a platter bearing a mountain of spaghetti & meatballs), some wild (the dog races after a purse-snatcher and nabs him). The story concludes with an evening scene, showing an illuminated grocery with a row of out-of-doors flowers for sale, and with the elevated train whizzing overhead with the windows illuminated. The text takes the form of clumsy poetry. The couplets all rhyme, but the couplets do not scan well. There is no attempt at any consistent meter. It is not certain to this reviewer if the failure to write the rhymes in any particular meter was intentional or not. At any rate, I would prefer that the writing be free of any consistent meter. On the other hand, this IS a book for little kids. Hence, in view of the fact that the authors had intended the couplets to rhyme, I would have made every attempt to put the couplets in, e.g., iambic pentameter or iambic heptameter. The highlight of the book is the illustrations. They are a wonder to behold. They are in a realistic style, but not in the sharp-edged, super-realistic style used in children's books by David Wiesner (TUESDAY) or by Jan Brett (OWL & THE PUSSYCAT). I prefer Marc Buehner's style of art. Mr.Buehner discloses buildings and skyscrapers basking in the golden glow of the setting sun. His clouds are intentionally shaped like animals. Every one of his illustrations has a hidden black cat. Children will delight in trying to find the black cat. In one picture, the cat is just a blurry shadow on a window blind. In another picture, the black cat is tiny in the distance. The style of the art is somewhat like the early paintings of Leonard Dufresne, a New York artist. Dufresne's early paintings are all painted from the perspective of somebody lying on the floor, or with an exaggerated vertical dimension. Unfortunately, Mr.Dufresne's web site seems only to have his recent paintings, which don't quite have the charming simplicity of his previous paintings from the early 1980s. Marc Buehner uses both of these techniques -- perspective of somebody l

After visiting NYC with young kids, we got this book and read and re-read it many times, seeking out the hidden cat and other delights.

4 ("and three quarters!") year old Maria and I love this book. It's one of our favorites. The illustrations are great, the rhymes are clever, and there is a cat to find in each picture!

The "Maxi" books are a wonderful series for girls and boys. Our daughter first fell in love with the taxi dog and his friend Jim when she was 4. Don't miss out on all three books in this series: "The Adventures of Maxi," "Maxi The Hero" and "Maxi The Star" (when he goes to Hollywood to shoot a commercial). Great art work accompanies the fun stories.

My five-year-old daughter loves this book. So do I. It's great to read, has a nice rhythm to it, and the art work is fantastically surreal. There's a moral to the story but the authors don't lay it on too thick. In fact, "crime doesn't pay" is just part of the plot. The real theme is that life in the big city can be bright, cheerful, intriguing, and there is a certain comfort in a routine job peppered with small adventures