Fabulously talented author/artist Jim LaMarche delivers another beautifully-illustrated, sensitively-told tale of childhood in Up, which chronicles the experiences of Daniel, a young boy who wishes he were older. Longing to join his father and older brother on their family's fishing boat, and sick of his nickname, 'Mouse,' Daniel discovers one day that he has a most unusual ability: he can levitate objects just slightly off the ground, or whatever other surface they lay upon. As he practices this secret new skill, Daniel wonders what use it could possibly be, finding the answer when a whale washes up on the beach close to his house, and his father and the other fishermen have no luck dislodging it...

I have enjoyed every book I have read that has been illustrated and/or written by Jim LaMarche, and Up is no different. The story here is engaging and ultimately heartwarming, addressing a common childhood concern - namely, wishing to grow up, and be trusted with more mature tasks - and offering a creative and magical solution, in the form of Daniel's unusual ability. The accompanying artwork, done in acrylic paint and colored pencil, is simply luminous, beautifully capturing the enchantment of Daniel's experiences, and the world around him. Highly recommended ( )

Jim LaMarche is another favorite illustrator. He is particularly great at rendering emotions on the faces he paints.

In this tale, a father and brother believe that Daniel is too small to go onboard the boat. One day he discovers a surprising talent. He can lift items upward when he concentrates on this task. As his special skill grew stronger, one day he and his mother watch as a whale is beached on shore.

Daniel moved the whale to it's side, concentrated and looked into the whale's eyes. By concentrating, and peacefully believing he can help the whale, he is successful. Slowly, the whale moved deeper into the water. Both Daniel and the whale were successful in making this major event occur.

With this amazing feat, Daniel's brother and father now believed he was big enough to go out on the boat with them.

I liked this book for many reasons. First, this book reminded me of one of my childhood favorites, Matilda. In both books, there is a child who has powers where they can move things with their mind. Matilda usually used her powers to get back at people who did her wrong, however, in Up, the boy used his powers for good. The boy’s dad and brother said he was too small to go fishing with them, so one day when he was stuck at home the boy found he had this power and used it to prove to his dad he was big enough to go on the fishing trip instead of staying home with mom. Another reason I liked this book is because of the illustrations. The illustrations really paint a picture that makes you feel like you’re at the beach. The beautiful watercolors brought the scenes to life as you read the descriptive words that went with them. I also liked this story because of message of the story. The story is about magic, and finding your own strengths to practice and build on. “Every day, like a weightlifter, he got a bit stronger. But though he could life heavy things, he could never life them high. Never back and forth, just up, and that, not much. I think this was a good quote from the story because it showed how much Daniel practiced to try and build on this new-found skill. This book is just an overall uplifting story, which is the final reason that I like this book because it shows students that if you are good at something, you can practice and become better to eventually use these skills for good, like Daniel did when lifting the beached whale. The main message of this book is that through hard work, your wildest dreams will come true. This is a great book to show students that even the smallest people can use their skills to make a big difference. ( )

A small boy is deeply hurt by his father's refusal to allow him to help on their fishing boat - and his older brother's nasty teasing. But one day he discovers he has a special ability. Much practice and patience hone his magical ability and when it matters most he shows his dad he's not too small to help.

LaMarch's luminous illustrations shine with the warmth of Daniel's passion to help and the delight in his new and strange ability. Every small detail of the house and sea is perfectly integrated into the story and the setting. Children who are tired of being told they're "too small" will revel in the simple but satisfying conclusion.

Verdict. Gorgeous illustrations, but the text is a little too long for what I'm buying right now. We have LaMarche's Lost and Found (dog stories) and they're much more popular than this would be at our library. Another time maybe.

ISBN: 0811844455; Published July 2006 by Chronicle (out of print); Borrowed from the library

A lovely gentle story of a small boy learning just how big he really is.

Everybody calls Daniel "Mouse," and think he is too small to ever be of any help.One day he discovers a special power. It isn't very big, and he doesn't think it can ever be of use, but it gets stronger with practice. Then one day he finds out what use his power is destined for.

The artwork is soft, beautiful, and quite evocative of the seashore and the fishing village where Daniel and his family live. I really love this book. ( )