Oliver's Tantrums

Gr 1–4—Oliver wants to play with his mom, but she's too busy with his baby sister, so he stomps off to the attic where he discovers three fluffy balls. "We're Tantrums," they declare. "We'll get you everything you want! Throw us at your mom and you'll see." Oliver complies, and the first Tantrum turns into a monster of swirling water, soaking his mother. "Fine, fine," she shouts and plays with him. For a while the Tantrums allow Oliver his every wish. Life is sweet, until Mom figures out Oliver's tricks and greets one of his Tantrums with the necessary armor to deflect whatever havoc it attempts to wreak on her. When Oliver tries to unleash the power of all three Tantrums at once, Mom teaches him a lesson about something more powerful. Enhanced color photographs portray dynamic and occasionally disturbing images of anthropomorphized objects, such as an olive-eyed spaghetti monster and a water monster with a face that may scare younger readers. The masterful, vivid images practically leap from the page. Highly energetic and at times garish, this selection might find a limited audience.—Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH