The nowhere box
(Book)

George is looking for anywhere he can escape his two little brothers, who follow him all over the house. Luckily, the delivery of a new washing machine provides the perfect vehicle for hiding from siblings: a giant cardboard box. In a flash, industrious George turns the box into a portal to another world, called Nowhere, where brothers can't follow. Though Nowhere starts as vast blank space, once George overturns his box, out tumble beautifully animated, page-filling illustrations made out of painted and torn cardboard. Nowhere, it turns out, is pretty awesome. George rides a roller coaster, flies in a rocket ship, and sets out on an ocean voyage, his ecstatic grin growing ever bigger with each new adventure. But his brothers wonder where he's gone, and George, frankly, is starting to feel lonesome. So he takes his box back home to share his imaginative games with his brothers. There's no shortage of picture books about this very subject, but Zuppardi's expressive and playful illustrations are a delight to behold.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2010 Booklist

Even in our screen-dominant age, the arrival of a big cardboard box can still be momentous for a kid. For George, a washing machine box with hand-drawn button controls becomes a combination transporter, transmogrifier, and (most important) a refuge from his bratty younger brothers-until, of course, he realizes their value as playmates. Making his picture book debut, Zuppardi, whose exuberantly scrawled pencil line and variegated palette is reminiscent of David Shannon, finds a rich source of inspiration in cardboard, painting and manipulating it to create George's pretend adventures. A ride on a scream-worthy rollercoaster made from looped and twisted cardboard leads to a rocket ship zooming through a mini-galaxy, which in turn becomes a swashbuckling scene on the high seas, with spirals of corrugated material forming the cresting, churning waves. Although the text doesn't come close to the originality of the visuals ("Nowhere was amazing! Nowhere was magnificent! Nowhere was stupendous!"), readers probably won't notice. They'll be too busy asking their grownups, "Don't we need a new refrigerator or something?" Ages 4-8. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 2-George has a little brother and an "even littler brother" and the tension with his siblings-which starts on the endpapers-is mounting. One of the little guys inadvertently knocks down his castle while the other derails his train. "George had had enough," and readers can see his frustration etched in a penciled scribble above his grimaced teeth while he tries to hide from their omnipresence. As they chase him in pursuit of play, they ask where he's going and he cries out, "Nowhere! And you can't follow me!" The artwork is sophisticated in its two-dimensional, contoured comic style as well as in the materials it utilizes. Speech bubbles made with notebook paper and torn cardboard pieces create painted collages full of movement and texture. Scratchy, heavy pencil lines balanced with bold and thin acrylic paint create richly expressive characters. When George finds the washing-machine box, he creates a getaway machine and travels to "Nowhere." He expresses his zeal with a flood of adjectives, yet despite his initial glee, he remembers the home button he drew on the dashboard. The discovery of the need for playing together balanced with the need to be alone and the role of the imagination in navigating these important social poles speaks to kids of a variety of ages. Pair this story with Matthew Cordell's Another Brother (Feiwel & Friends, 2012).-Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

'Where are you going?' 'Nowhere! And you can't follow me!'" Craving time away from his pesky younger brothers, George constructs a ship from a large cardboard box. Armed with his imagination and a helmet, he sets a course for Nowhere. This familiar scenario will resonate with most children; Zuppardi's scribbly, childlike illustrations invite readers into Georges build-it-yourself adventure. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Annoying siblings drive an imaginative young boy to "Nowhere," but loneliness and a lack of good villains draw him home. George's two little brothers, unnamed Everysiblings, are gleefully wrecking his imaginative play, destroying and toppling with abandon. Worse, George has no place he can get away from them. Finally, he answers their "Where are you going?" with "Nowhere," and the box from the washing machine (and a marker and scissors) will help him get there. Climbing in, with helmet, goggles and flashlight, he pushes a button and arrives in Nowhere--a "vast and empty" place. But by upending his box, he spills out all sorts of building materials to fuel his exuberant adventures; meanwhile, his brothers search the house for him. But in Nowhere, without dragons and pirates to fight, the novelty of being alone soon wears off, no matter the loopy roller coaster or cool rocket, and George heads home to a joyful sibling reunion. Zuppardi's art, done in mixed media, is the perfect complement to a tale about young boys and imagination. His rough, sketchy style (people are little more than stick figures with big heads), bright palette and prominent use of cut, torn and colored cardboard give readers a kid's perspective and makes it seem as if this truly is the siblings' story. While the parallels to Max are obvious, George shows readers how imagination (and a few simple household items) can transport them to another worldand the ties that will bring them home. (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

George is looking for anywhere he can escape his two little brothers, who follow him all over the house. Luckily, the delivery of a new washing machine provides the perfect vehicle for hiding from siblings: a giant cardboard box. In a flash, industrious George turns the box into a portal to another world, called Nowhere, where brothers can't follow. Though Nowhere starts as vast blank space, once George overturns his box, out tumble beautifully animated, page-filling illustrations made out of painted and torn cardboard. Nowhere, it turns out, is pretty awesome. George rides a roller coaster, flies in a rocket ship, and sets out on an ocean voyage, his ecstatic grin growing ever bigger with each new adventure. But his brothers wonder where he's gone, and George, frankly, is starting to feel lonesome. So he takes his box back home to share his imaginative games with his brothers. There's no shortage of picture books about this very subject, but Zuppardi's expressive and playful illustrations are a delight to behold. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.

Even in our screen-dominant age, the arrival of a big cardboard box can still be momentous for a kid. For George, a washing machine box with hand-drawn button controls becomes a combination transporter, transmogrifier, and (most important) a refuge from his bratty younger brothers—until, of course, he realizes their value as playmates. Making his picture book debut, Zuppardi, whose exuberantly scrawled pencil line and variegated palette is reminiscent of David Shannon, finds a rich source of inspiration in cardboard, painting and manipulating it to create George's pretend adventures. A ride on a scream-worthy rollercoaster made from looped and twisted cardboard leads to a rocket ship zooming through a mini-galaxy, which in turn becomes a swashbuckling scene on the high seas, with spirals of corrugated material forming the cresting, churning waves. Although the text doesn't come close to the originality of the visuals ("Nowhere was amazing! Nowhere was magnificent! Nowhere was stupendous!"), readers probably won't notice. They'll be too busy asking their grownups, "Don't we need a new refrigerator or something?" Ages 4–8. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Nov.)

PreS-Gr 2—George has a little brother and an "even littler brother" and the tension with his siblings-which starts on the endpapers-is mounting. One of the little guys inadvertently knocks down his castle while the other derails his train. "George had had enough," and readers can see his frustration etched in a penciled scribble above his grimaced teeth while he tries to hide from their omnipresence. As they chase him in pursuit of play, they ask where he's going and he cries out, "Nowhere! And you can't follow me!" The artwork is sophisticated in its two-dimensional, contoured comic style as well as in the materials it utilizes. Speech bubbles made with notebook paper and torn cardboard pieces create painted collages full of movement and texture. Scratchy, heavy pencil lines balanced with bold and thin acrylic paint create richly expressive characters. When George finds the washing-machine box, he creates a getaway machine and travels to "Nowhere." He expresses his zeal with a flood of adjectives, yet despite his initial glee, he remembers the home button he drew on the dashboard. The discovery of the need for playing together balanced with the need to be alone and the role of the imagination in navigating these important social poles speaks to kids of a variety of ages. Pair this story with Matthew Cordell's Another Brother (Feiwel & Friends, 2012).—Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City