The Arguers

PreS-Gr 2–The heir-apparent to Edward Gorey, Maurice Sendak, and Hilary Knight—Luyken (The Book of Mistakes)—offers up a brand-new fairy tale that feels as old as time and endlessly funny. In a kingdom populated by people with big bustles and even bigger hair, arguing is a daily sport, but far less organized. The arguments start small—for the king’s tangles, comb or brush? Then there is an Argument of Letters, Argument of Spoons, and so the rancor continues. The king decides to have a contest to name best arguer. The villagers talk under and over one another, no one is listening, and neither storms nor floods can stop them. Watercolor, ink, and gouache artwork grows deeper, denser, and more effective with every angry word, and the happy ending really lands. Spare, witty, snipped sentences portray all, making this a perfect read-aloud—and no one can argue with that.