The scrambled states of America

The states on the map are snoozing one night until New York wakes up the others with a bright idea: a talent show! Throughout the day, the little state-shaped figures bustle about, organizing themselves into group and individual acts, crew, and director. There are glitches, of course, but these troupers carry on, from rehearsals right through to the postproduction party and chatter. The characters (resembling thin, state-shaped puzzle pieces with large faces and wiry limbs) generate their own kind of excitement in the colorful, dynamic illustrations, created with acrylic painting and digital collage. Even the endpapers bustle with excitement and wit: lists of the states with their statehood dates and their postal code abbreviations are featured, while in the margins, tiny characters make comments and crack jokes that are right on target for the book's audience. This amusing geography-inspired picture book is a fine companion to The Scrambled States of America (1998).--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2008 Booklist

Keller is once again guilty of transporting laughter across state lines in this follow-up to her hit The Scrambled States of America. Who knew that the 50 states were such a bunch of hams? She shows readers the backstage histrionics: California demands to talk to his agent when Georgia gets a bad case of stage fright, and Hawaii doesn't get the answer she seeks when she asks Kansas: "Does this grass skirt make my butte look big?" But the show must go on--and it does with every possible kind of act, from Minnesota the Magician (who seems to saw South Dakota in half) to the State Impersonators (Tennessee and Wyoming form Oklahoma and then ask, "What's up with this handle, anyway? I mean, what am I--a state or a frying pan?"). Some fans of the first book may argue that this one isn't as geographically clever--and they could be right. But the snappy dialogue flows effortlessly, the personalities are as winning as ever, and the pictures' energy never flags. It's e pluribus boffo! Ages 4-9. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Gr 3-5-A geography lesson par excellence, this clever picture book also offers great extension opportunities for the classroom. Through the voice of Uncle Sam, Keller suggests that the individual states of America have become tired of their physical positions and bored with their contiguous partners. So they decide to switch: Arizona, for example, trades places with South Carolina, Florida with Minnesota, and Kansas with Hawaii. Before long, however, they discover, as Dorothy did in The Wizard of Oz, that there's no place like home, and they all return, amid much mayhem, to their original spots. In following their journeys, children will not only become involved in their stories but will also learn a lot about the "the good old U.S. of A." Keller's imaginative story, her pop-art illustrations that sprawl in and around the text, and her amusing asides will have kids quickly chiming in with sayings of their own. The clever personifications of the states will stimulate students to research the individual characteristics of their own homes, as well as those of the other states. A graphic fact chart is appended along with a montage of funny cartoons that show mixed-up sites and mascots, as Kansas sunflowers cross the Golden Gate Bridge, Florida oranges race Kentucky Derby horses, and the Statue of Liberty greets the faces on Mt. Rushmore.-Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Tired of being stuck in the same old places, the states decide to swap spots with one another. With generous dollops of wacky, wisecracking humor, and a mixed-media art style that creates states with loads of personality, newcomer Keller has created a madcap story and a geography lesson rolled into one. From HORN BOOK Spring 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Ten years after their memorable debut the states once again pop open their wide eyes, leap up on pipestem limbs and strut their stuff--this time on stage in a display of talent that ranges from the heartthrob singing of New York and New Mexico as "New States On The Block" to Michigan using its Upper Peninsula in a ventriloquist act and Wyoming linking with Tennessee to impersonate Oklahoma. Rendering her performers with flashbulb intensity and reasonably accurate borders, Keller sends them gamboling with abandon across spreads strewn with hilarious side comments (Idaho: "Does this grass skirt make my BUTTE look big?"), as well as abbreviations and statehood dates. Closing with a bit of traditional stagecraft by having shy Georgia visualize fellow states in their underwear to get over a case of stage fright, this exuberant geographical jamboree will definitely leave readers in a state. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Ages 5^-8. Once upon a time, Kansas and Nebraska had a party. All the states came, put on name tags, and made friends. Soon they decided to change places with one another. Although the switch started out as an adventure, it ended up with a lot of unhappy states: Minnesota was sunburned, Florida was freezing, and Kansas was lonely and seasick out in the middle of the Pacific. So they all went back home, where they compared notes with their neighbors. The book ends with two large spreads featuring each smiling state, its capital, area, population, and nickname. The idea is original and the writing clever, but much of the book's fun comes in the illustrations, which depict the characters as distinctively state-shaped entities with expressive faces and tiny lines for arms and legs. Bright colors, humorous cartoon-style comments from the states, and the tongue-in-cheek tone of the text add appeal for the intended audience as well as for the adults who may be reading aloud. A lighthearted, yet informative introduction to 50 states. ((Reviewed January 1 & 15, 1999)) Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews

It's hard to imagine a more engaging (or comical) way to learn the 50 states and their locations than in this auspicious debut from Keller. Dorothy may have thought there's no place like home when she clicked her red ruby slippers, but her native state's wanderlust starts all the trouble here. Kansas is bored ("All day long we just sit here in the middle of the country. We never GO anywhere. we never DO anything") and drafts best friend Nebraska into the cause of stirring things up. Soon they're throwing a potluck party for all the states (the spread includes "Iowa Corn Surprise" and "Boston Baked Beans") and everyone delights in the idea of seeing another part of the country. Keller bestows a unique personality onto each of the states, yet keeps them true to their national identity. Kansas gets to take exotic Hawaii's place ("Aloha, world!"), Wisconsin packs up its famous cheese, Nevada and Mississippi fall in love ("Do you want to become MRS.issippi?" Nevada asks), and in a subtle lesson, Maryland places the Washington Monument and Capitol building carefully in a suitcase ("Are you o.k. in there Mr. President?"). Keller cleverly illustrates the chaos that ensues when the states cross country (e.g., the displaced Great Lakes ask, "Um... where did Michigan go?"). Soon the gang get homesick for their native lands, and New York hails a taxi home, California flies west in a plane, while a hitchhiking Connecticut cops a ride with Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maine. Readers will unwittingly learn more than they bargained for about the (finally) United States, while poring over the endless witty remarks exchanged over state lines. Ages 6-9. (Oct.) Copyright 1998 Publishers Weekly Reviews

"Keller endows each of the 50 states with a unique personality and, as all of them develop a case of wanderlust, she presents geography lessons as clever quips exchanged across state lines," said PW in our Best Books citation. Ages 4-9. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Gr 3-5-A geography lesson par excellence, this clever picture book also offers great extension opportunities for the classroom. Through the voice of Uncle Sam, Keller suggests that the individual states of America have become tired of their physical positions and bored with their contiguous partners. So they decide to switch: Arizona, for example, trades places with South Carolina, Florida with Minnesota, and Kansas with Hawaii. Before long, however, they discover, as Dorothy did in The Wizard of Oz, that there's no place like home, and they all return, amid much mayhem, to their original spots. In following their journeys, children will not only become involved in their stories but will also learn a lot about the "the good old U.S. of A." Keller's imaginative story, her pop-art illustrations that sprawl in and around the text, and her amusing asides will have kids quickly chiming in with sayings of their own. The clever personifications of the states will stimulate students to research the individual characteristics of their own homes, as well as those of the other states. A graphic fact chart is appended along with a montage of funny cartoons that show mixed-up sites and mascots, as Kansas sunflowers cross the Golden Gate Bridge, Florida oranges race Kentucky Derby horses, and the Statue of Liberty greets the faces on Mt. Rushmore.-Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI Copyright 1998 School Library Journal