What James Said

Here is a cautionary tale for those who would jump to conclusions without first reviewing all the facts. The young narrator, a budding artist, is peeved at her best friend James; she’s heard through the grapevine that James said “that I think I am perfect.” The girl’s wrath is punctuated (artistically) by angry splotches of paint scattered across the pages -- at one point devil horns are sketched onto James’s head. For his part, James spends much of the school day trying to make it up to his friend -- giving her a bag of chips, drawing her a funny picture -- but only when she stops to listen does the girl realize that James has actually been singing her praises all along: “I think [your painting is] perfect…That’s what I tell everyone.” Myers does a fine job conveying simple emotion through his mixed-media (“cheap ballpoint pen and watercolor,” per the copyright page) illustrations: the girl’s ever-present scowl and tense posture show just how angry she is at James, who -- through words, actions, and sincere facial expressions -- seems genuinely concerned (“Are you feeling okay? Do you have a stomachache? Do you want me to walk you to the nurse?”). Though perhaps a bit too

The narrator, a budding artist, is peeved at her best friend James; she's heard that James said "that I think I am perfect." Only when she stops to listen does the girl realize he's been singing her praises all along. Mixed-media illustrations ably convey simple emotion, the girl's wrath punctuated by angry splotches of paint. This story will resonate with the primary-grade crowd.