Monday, February 29, 2016

Normal Norman by Tara Lazar and illustrated by S.Britt [Review & Giveaway]

About the book: What is "normal?" That's the question an eager young scientist hopes to answer as she narrates her very first book. Unfortunately, her exceedingly "normal" subject—an orangutan named Norman—turns out to be exceptionally strange. He speaks English, sleeps in a bed, loves his stuffed toy, goes bananas over pizza, and even deep-sea dives! Oh, no: what's a "normal" scientist to do?

Brightly illustrated and brimming with silly scenes that will have young readers in hysterics, this loving look at the wackiness that makes us all special serves as a gentle reminder that "normal" can’t ever be defined. Norman and his scientist friend will encourage and inspire children to embrace their individuality and be their own “normal” selves.


My thoughts: Of course Norman is the main character and he is aptly brought to delicious life by the illustrator who has used the un-normal coloration of blueish-purple and golds to help Norman in his un-normal way to stand out.

I love the little girl scientist who is a first-time book narrator and "scientist" who is trying to define normal in her book. She is unidentified and is only, "I." (But let's get a shout-out and an encouraging nod to all the little girl would-be scientists and encourage the little girls to pursue the fields of STEM: Science, Technology, Education, and Mathematics.)

"I" our narrator is being graded by the head scientist who is an adult male with a beard . And in the end he gives "I" a passing grade because she recognizes that normal cannot be defined. Our little girl scientist goes about observing, recording, and drawing conclusions as she tries to define Normal Norman. (All a part of the scientific process.)

Using this book, a teacher or parent can encourage children to recognize that which is normal to one individual or community might not be normal to another and that we are each valued individuals.

This is a charmingly engaging book with the illustrator using bold black lines and strong pastels for the art work. (Well, using pastels and strong in the same sentence seems to be un-normal, doesn't it?) I love the little girl. I love the big, lumbering gorilla in his purplish colors hugging his favorite stuffed critter. And I love the way the author encourages us to embrace the ordinary, the regular, the common everyday people and critters around us.
GIVEAWAY
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Author: Tara Lazar lives in Basking Ridge, NJ, with her husband, two daughters, and 2,749 stuffed animals. She’s the author of The Monstore, I Thought This Was a Bear Book (both Simon & Schuster), and Little Red Gliding Hood (Random House). Tara founded Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo), an annual online writing event held on her award-winning blog at taralazar.com, which has hundreds of registered users and receives tens of thousands of blog hits.  

Illustrator: S.britt (AKA Stephan Britt) first developed his zeal for drawing in childhood, when he drew on anything and everything that wasn’t dripping wet. His first picture book, Over In the Hollow (Chronicle), was a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best. Stephan lives in Portland, OR. Visit him online at sbritt.com.

DISCLOSURE: Information and images reprinted with permission from Normal Norman © 2016 by Tara Lazar, Sterling Children’s Books, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. Illustrations © 2016 by Stephan Britt. I was provided a copy by the publisher to facilitate this review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. I was not compensated for the review. The giveaway prize is provided by the publisher and will be shipped directly to the winner by the publisher.

22 comments:

  1. I think normal is a slippery thing to define & I'm not sure that being considered normal (except maybe when you're talking about medical test results) is all that good.

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    1. She lost feeling --- permanently --- in her legs and feet because of MS

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  2. I think being perceived as "normal" by your friends and acquaintances isn't necessarily a bad thing, but then again normal is hard to define and people have different perceptions of it.

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  3. I learned that the author has a lot of other cute childrens books. My nieces would love these! :)

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  4. Defining 'normal' sounds like a superb interesting topic. A great idea to say to kids that 'normal' is not bad.

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  5. I learned that Tara is a children's book author and mother of two.

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  6. I choose not to be normal. I like to stand out from the crowd.

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  7. I suppose I am as "normal" as everyone else, quite frankly I think everyone is slightly weird including myself!
    j1man1r66@etex.net

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  8. i never bee normal i m unquie beacuse i have survived cancer 2 major kind in less than 2 mo and the death has mad eme survive for mew

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  9. she has a great sence of humor and then i love to read the book

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  10. I learned that there is a 4' tall Norman sitting in her house & it startles her daughter, lol. I can relate- we have a four foot dragon that makes me jump, too!

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  11. My daughter would love to read this one! She is interested in science experiments.

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  12. I have always loved being short because it meant that I wasn't "normal".I stood out as unique. And now living in an Arctic community being blonde, blue eyed, and short all make me stand out and I love it!

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  13. This book looks adorable! Thanks for being a part of the Booknificent Thursday reading community this week!
    Tina

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  14. I often like to be perceived as mostly normal, since I don't like a ton of attention on me. On the flip side I also like to be individual.

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  15. Oh I think I am perceived as pretty plain and normal! Enjoy the simple things in life!

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  16. I visited the Authors page and learned that she is also an award-winning ice sculptor!!!

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  17. Being normal is definitely a subjective term. Being normal to me is just being myself, even if I am alittle dorky! ;)

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  18. Love the science connection! Thanks for sharing this!

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  19. I wish kids were kinder to other kids regarding differences like apraxia, sensory processing disorder, etc. This could be the perfect method of teaching kids to accept themselves and others as different.

    I'm looking forward to your next contribution at Literacy Musing Mondays.

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  20. I think normal is boring, I prefer to be different.

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