A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever

K-Gr 3—Light-hearted music sprinkled with hints of campfire songs opens Marla Frazee's humorous Caldecott Honor book (Harcourt, 2008) about two boys and their summer vacation experience. Narrators Fred Berman, Teddy Walsh, and Jasper Newell bring the characters to life as young Eamon is joined at his grandparents' beach house by his pal James. The boys embark on a week of "nature camp." Based on real people and events, the story is punctuated by comical contradictions where Frazee's wonderful pencil-and-gouache cartoon illustrations and text clearly represent opposing points of view. For example, James "arrives with just a couple of his belongings," while the illustration shows a boy surrounded by a multitude of boxes, toys, and luggage. As Eamon and James become more and more attached to each other, they are given the moniker "Jamon." Despite Grandpa Bill's repeated attempts at luring the boys to nearby penguin exhibits and outdoor adventures, they prefer to enjoy nature and visit the beach by gazing at the waves from an upstairs window. The narrator does an excellent job of punctuating Frazee's alliterative phrases ("Pam said she preferred people over penguins" and "people hugs over penguin huddles"), and the young male narrators wonderfully reflect the mood of the closing scene as James and Eamon excitedly show the grandparents their Antarctica creation. The book ends with simple directions on how to make a mussel shell penguin. A realistic intergenerational tale and a fun take on what it means to be a kid during summer vacation.—Cathie Bashaw Morton, Millbrook Central School District, NY