Uncles and Antlers

We checked this book out at the library last Christmas and I just bought us a copy of our own. Very cute text and pictures. Loved by mom, dad and kids.

This very funny book teaches numbers, but it also entertains and surprises in a very big way. Author Lisa Wheeler and illustrator Brian Flocci are simultaneously smart and zany; they don't dumb down the humor for kids, and their septet of oddball reindeers seem like they've come from an animal-populated screwball comedy. Wheeler tosses out such wildly inventive actions and personalities that they almost hide the underlying rhythmic structure and focus on counting. Each two-page spread introduces one of young Octavia's seven uncles, with the previously counted uncles integrated within each playful illustration. As a music aficionado, I especially enjoyed Uncle Duce, the punfully introduced second uncle: Uncle Duce from Cameroon, Bellows out an Elvis tune. When he sings, the girls all swoon... And he's my loudest uncle. He has two wigs. He has two boots. He has two shiny white jumpsuits. He has two roadies-Gnat and Flea. He says his favorite niece is ME! Other idiosyncratic uncles include a scuba diver ("my sweetest uncle"), a trick-shot basketballer ("my coolest uncle"), a stunt-deer ("my bravest uncle") and a writer ("my smartest uncle"). Uncle number four has four lassos, four spurs, and four-gallon hats, and he is shown doing a four-rope trick involving Octavia and Uncles one through three. For those who like some good values thrown in with their fun, there's a subtle allusion to the unique appeal of these disparate uncles: "They're all here now/It's quite a mix/Each uncle's cool/Each uncle's great/ And I'm Octavia-number eight." Hmmm....eight reindeer...and they gather just "once a year" --where have we heard that before? Well, I'm not going to give that way/but let's just say/they pull a sleigh! (ho ho ho, indeed!). Flocca's ink and watercolor illustrations have the fun, casual style of Sandra Boynton. With colors spilling over his sketchy lines, Flocca's painting feels spontaneous-he's so talented that each pair of antlers seem to have its own personality. Both the author and illustrator delight in the unexpected: In one picture, a white background covering more than half of the scene is actually the bottom of a glacier. With its big surprise finish and hilarious presentation of seven very different uncles, "Uncles and Antlers" is almost certain to please (and teach something about numbers as well!).

Both my son and I really enjoy this rhyming Christmas/numbers book in which Octavia, a young reindeer, describes her seven uncles (from Uncle Uno to Uncle Sven). My personal favorite is Uncle Duce, an Elvis impersonator, while my son seems to prefer Uncle Quint, a basketball star. The rhythm and rhyme are perfect. Extra credit to the author for using the word "tines" in a book for youngsters ("Uncle Trey is short and wide. Antler tines? Three on each side!")...the vocabulary is just sophisticated enough to be slightly challenging to young readers. Brian Floca (for Click magazine readers, he's the illustrator of "Beatrice Black Bear") draws with a loose, Quentin Blake style. OK, maybe that doesn't help much. Let's just say his reindeer have personality...these are not cookie cutter reindeer. Floca's illustrations live up to the creativity of Lisa Wheeler's words; it takes a special artist to draw an Elvis reindeer, complete with wig and white jumpsuit. I'm kind of sorry I didn't discover this book until after the holiday season, but really, I think it's funny enough to keep us laughing all year `round.