Author: Arthur Yorinks
Artist: Richard Egielski
Genre: Birds / Better Life / Friends
Year Published: 1986
Year Read: 2014
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Source: Library
Content Rating: Ages 5+ (One Intense Scene)
Buy on: Amazon // Book Depository
After reading many Caldecott
Medal award winning books, I stumbled upon this rare gem called “Hey, Al” which won a Caldecott Medal and was written by Arthur Yorinks along with illustrations
by Richard Egielski. Get prepared
for one surreal yet adventurous journey!
Meet Al, the janitor and his faithful dog, Eddie. They live
in a single room on the West Side and they do
everything together. So, every thing is fine,
right?
WRONG!
Al and Eddie’s life is miserable as they live in a small and
cramped apartment and they are barely making it in life. One day, however, a large bird comes to their
apartment and tells them about a place where things are so much better than the
life they are currently living in. Al and Eddie then decided to let the large
bird take them to this mysterious place and it turns out to be a beautiful
island located up in the sky. Everything
was going great for Al and Eddie as they were living the perfect paradise that
they dreamed of, but it turns out that their “paradise” comes with a price…
Wow! I cannot believe that I had never read this book
before! I had heard so many good things
about this book and how popular it was, but I never had the chance to read
about it until now! Arthur Yorinks had done an excellent job at writing this story as
this story is extremely imaginative and surreal at the same time! I loved the fact that Arthur Yorinks approached the theme of “the grass is greener on the
other side” and gave it a more fantasy spin on it as it has both Al and Eddie
traveling to a magical island to gain a better life from the one they have,
only to realize that it does come with a price.
Richard Egielski’s
illustrations are what truly sold this book to me. I loved how gorgeous Richard Egielski’s illustrations are, especially of the scenes of
Al and Eddie going to the island in the sky as there are many images of
luscious trees and different types of birds inhabiting the island. I also loved how realistic and colorful the
illustrations are as they bring a sense of tranquility and beauty to the story.
****SPOILER
ALERT!!!****
Parents should know that the scene where Al and Eddie start
turning into birds might be scary for smaller children. Parents might want to reassure their children
that the story is purely fantasy and that it would not happen in real
life. The story was merely trying to
show readers about how the theme of “the grass is greener on the other side”
can come with consequences in a more fantastical way.
****SPOILER ENDED****
Overall, “Hey, Al”
is a fantastic book that teaches children about how sometimes the “grass is not
always greener on the other side” and that being satisfied with what you have
is important. I would recommend this
book to children ages five and up since the scenes of Al and Eddie transforming
might frighten some children.
* 1987 Caldecott Medal
* 1988 Kentucky Bluegrass Award for K-3
* 1988 Little Archer Award
* 1987 Caldecott Medal
* 1988 Kentucky Bluegrass Award for K-3
* 1988 Little Archer Award
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