The Squishiness of Things

By Marc Kompaneyets

Book Overview

One tiny little hair can ruin everything--especially for a genius. And Hieronymus is no ordinary genius. He knows everything under the sun--from the squishiness of bugs to the bounciness of sausage.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375827501
• ISBN13: 9780375827501
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.3" x 0.4" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Already a Classic

It's hard to figure out what's best about The Squishiness of Things. Is it the misty, dreamy paintings just creepy enough to keep kids staring long after it's time to turn the page? Or the wry innocence of the characters and their oblivion to their circumstances? Actually, I love the borders of the illustrations: intricate scarabs, grimacing faces, hourglasses. Some of the two-tone pieces are the best, especially the scene in the lab, where Hieronymus' beakers simmer and belch steam in all directions. The style of the illustrations evokes the northern European masters, but instead of seeming retro, it makes those weird old Vermeer paintings seem new - as if they are now more reflective of the human condition than they were when we first saw them projected in art history class. The big pieces are obviously brilliant, but it's the little things in this book that make each read a new experience: look for tiny bees, caterpillars, and a bug dressed like Hieronymus, the protagonist. Then there's the theme of the story, which is, well, all any of us really need to understand about the world. In fact, forget the kids, buy this one for yourself.

Literature with a laugh!

My son (age 10) and I thoroughly enjoyed this book: wonderful fun-to-say names and words, and absurd situations that made us both laugh out loud. The obvious and ordinary are made mysterious and compelling so that the reader can really join in on this unusual adventure. The artwork has a rich Old World feel (plus there's a delightfully realisic bug creeping over the text on most pages -- you feel the desire to squish it -- just like the hero, Hieronymus, does). This book is fun to read outloud (a parent plus). My son especially enjoyed the napping antics of Pieter, the world's laziest assistant. If you want an intelligent, humorous and beautiful book: The Squishiness of Things (love that title!) is it.

This book deserves a place in any precocious kid's library

This book is a great example of classic old school writing; a whimsical and deep respect for language, a freedom from vulgar pop cultural references, and a love of storytelling that is immediately recognizable. There are many creative details in the story that add much to the book's enjoyment. The art is also very much of a classical age as well. Kompaneyets is a highly skilled painter with an impressive attention to detail. The pictures will inspire awe and wonder in both children and adults. In all respects this is a very finely crafted book. A book children will be able to grow up with and cherish as well as a book their parents will enjoy sharing (very important!). Buy this book today and it won't end up in a yard sale in a couple of years; how many other books in your child's library can you say that about? What else could you want from a children's book?

Expect this book to be a classic!

`The Squishiness Of Things," by debut picture book author and illustrator Marc Kompaneyets, should have been titled "Hillarious Hieronymus." Kompaneyets tells the story of Hieronymus, the "king of knowers," who knew everything as a result of his eccentric experiments. For instance, he once squished 16,567 bugs just to measure up their "squishiness." However, there came a day when he was stumped; he could not fathom the origin of one single little white hair that landed on his desk. He then travels around the world in search of the hair's origin, leaving his lab in the hands of his assistant Pieter, "a world renowned master of 234 napping techniques." Along the way, he meets strange creatures: the Bobnatabobs, who love noise; the Pabnayabish, who suffer from long term memory loss; and the Yabodabos, who are fearful gents. All these mysterious inhabitants cannot tell him the origin of his white hair, so he returns to his lab and his napping helper. In addition to his imaginative and hilarious prose, Kompaneyets is a very talented illustrator. His sepia pages are just as gorgeous as his toned-down colored ones and are reminiscent of French school paintings such as Chardin's La Bénédicité; Vermeer's Milk Maid must have inspired the illustration of Hieronymus in his lab (p.3). His uses of velvety colors infuse the paintings with an exotic, medieval flavor. The movements and facial expressions of his characters dance on the page, while bugs (not the squished ones, mind you) are realistic and brilliant in color. He uses chiaroscuro (a technique to contrast light and dark) and perspective techniques effectively. His costumes as well as his backgrounds seem to be inspired by his Russian heritage as Moscow or St. Petersburg's architecture are recognizable in some of the urban scenes. The Squishiness of Things is an engaging, funny, entertaining, imaginative fable sure to please all ages. Expect this book to be a classic! Lily Azerad-Goldman, Author, Artist, Reviewer for Bookpleasures.com