Meet the Dullards

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 6, 2015

Review

A children's book that recognizes how much humor children understand is a wonderful thing. Pennypacker's deadpan delivery of the most boring family in the world is well-executed. She uses just the right examples to show how shocking the world can be (books! chunky applesauce! wallpaper! exclamation points!!). Even the names of the family members are fantastic: Blanda, Borely, and Little Dud. And Salmieri's watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil drawings add great detail. It's a fun read-aloud as the audience notices the small things that the children do when left to their own devices. And it uses an extreme point-of-view to show that children should be allowed to explore and experiment. Even the youngest readers get this. A fun addition to any picture book collection.

Overall Book Score: excellent