Michael Arndt (3)

The secret of anything done really well is that everyone looks on from outside and thinks "wow, that looks so easy, I could do that." Of course, it never is that easy. Arndt's concept is immediately clear and simple: use the letters of the sound the animal makes as the elements of a simple picture of the animal. Huh, it's harder to explain in words than in the pictures.

Anyway, look at the cover and you get it. All the pictures are so straightforward and immediately appealing. Clever concept, brilliant execution.

Library copy

update 5/28/2014: I've gotten a message from an author whose book I've reviewed, and I'm sharing this with his kind permission, because, this,

this is awesome.

Unlike all the posts about badly behaving authors, this is about a really gracious author, whose message to me has guaranteed that I will follow the rest of his career with enthusiasm and squeeing fandom.



He said

You have been the first���and so far only���to recognize and appreciate the simplicity from the viewpoint that simple... is well, not easy, and I do appreciate that insight!

This is my first book and the response in the literary community has been incredibly warm and welcoming. ...I hope to continue to create others for kids and their parents alike to enjoy and so wonderfully honest, enthusiastic, and insightful reviews such as yours all help towards making that possible.

The cockles of my heart have actually melted. Obviously, I'm flattered as all hell. But in twenty years of posting reviews online, no author has ever written to say something nice about my review.*

So please, go forth, buy the book, buy more copies of the book to give to everyone you know, ask your library to buy the book, and just generally let this guy know that being a good author is worth it.

*Happily, they haven't written me to complain, either, . One did ask a question, once.… (meer)