Happy Punks 1 2 3

June 24, 2013
The team behind A Rule Is to Break: A Child’s Guide to Anarchy returns with a counting book that takes readers up to 12 as musicians prepare to give a free concert. These punks aren’t exactly raging against the machine; rather, Seven and Christy focus on things that bring them joy: “Six happy punks go to the thrift store.... They love old stuff. Perry buys a funny jacket. Siobhan loves that strange gizmo.” The book doesn’t get specific about what punk means, but the diversity of characters (including a second-wave ska fan, anthropomorphic animals and robots, and a jetpack-wearing punk of the steam variety) hint at a be-yourself, anything-goes mentality. Ages 3–up.

June 15, 2013
A round dozen punk rockers assemble with friends for a dance party. Count along, and check out the stylish 'dos and duds! Promoting numeracy and joie de vivre in equal measure, "John & Jana" one by one gather up Noriko, Kevin, Viv and other delighted friends--all sporting outlandishly shaped and colored hair over a wild array of fashions new and old. They hang out together, play music ("They love to be very loud"), make some posters, down a few pizzas, then at last get up on stage to "stomp / and bounce / and yell and make noise" with their friends. Painted in a flat, postmodern Maira Kalman style, the illustrations feature an unusually diverse urban cast that includes the occasional robot or green-skinned monster along with a street giraffe and other atypical residents. Aside from one discreet heart, there are no tattoos or piercings to be seen, and the text and typography are too staid to capture the music's volume. Still, the dancers and musicians fling their limbs with evocative abandon, and the smiles remain even as, weary and nodding off in the wee hours, all make their way to bed. Just the ticket for young punkers who sneer at counting, say, sheep. (Picture book. 3-5)

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January 1, 2014
In their edgy outfits and colorful hairdos, friendly neighborhood punks assemble one by one to play music, paint, shop, and ultimately attend a concert in the urban setting of this offbeat counting book. Joined by other funky city dwellers, including animals and robots, these fun-loving kids embody what it means to be young, be yourself, and live out loud.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)