Over-Scheduled Andrew

Andrew, a school-going chickadee, has developed a problem common to many kids (and adults)--too many commitments are leading to burnout. It starts innocently: surely joining the debate club would help his drama performances. And why not karate and ballet to improve his dancing? Luckily, Andrew's friend Edie (previously seen in 2014's Edie's Ensembles) helps him get back to a better place--and to bed to catch up on sleep. Working in digital media, Spires gives her animal cast the polished look of Plasticine figurines. While the premise of the overcommitted child has been explored before in books like Roz Chast's Too Busy Marco and Peter H. Reynolds's Too Few Of Me, Spires makes it her own, bringing a playful touch to her writing and artwork. In fact, insofar as this is a message book, the real takeaway is less "know your limits" than "nothing ventured, nothing gained." By book's end, Andrew has returned to his love of acting and cleared his schedule, but he's also become a cinephile--something he might never have discovered without a stint in French film club. Ages 4-8. Agent: Claire Easton, Painted Words. (Jan.)

Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

K-Gr 3--Andrew (an adorable chickadee) loves acting so much that he joins the drama club. He likes drama club so much that he joins the debate club and karate class and takes ballet to help improve his work on the stage. Because there is so much that interests him and it's hard to say no, things soon snowball from busy to overscheduled as Andrew also joins chess club, the tennis team, the school newspaper, French film club, Spanish classes, and singing lessons and takes up the bagpipe. Soon Andrew is debating his way through karate, dancing through debate club, playing bagpipes on the tennis court, sleeping through his 15 minutes of best friend time and backhanding his chess pieces. Worst of all, he misses his cue for the big play and sleeps through the entire thing. This disappointment is the catalyst he needs, and the next day he (nicely) quits everything except drama and French film club. Now he can focus on the things he loves, including his friends. Spires's digitally rendered illustrations are crisp, clean, and detailed with plenty of white space. They clearly depict the action and add numerous humorous touches. The text placement varies throughout and works perfectly with the flow of the story and pictures. VERDICT Not only cute and funny, this is also valuable subject matter for adults and children to read about. Though one does wonder where Andrew's parents are--maybe too overscheduled to notice?--Catherine Callegari, formerly at Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

PRAISE FOR Over-Scheduled Andrew

"Andrew's interests threaten to get the better of him in this tongue-in-cheek take on an all-too-common plight [...] For children, a whimsical word of warning. For their parents, a pleasant surprise that this time they're not made out to be at fault." —Kirkus Reviews

"Spires uses levity to explore valid lessons that are typically seen as counterintuitive to a lot of children's books: Sometimes, it's OK to say no. Sometimes it's necessary to give up and call it quits. At an age where children are learning what they are capable of, it's equally important for them to recognize their limits." —The National Post

"The story is fast paced but funny. The illustrations include comical details that are great to look at. This is yet another fantastic book by Ashley Spires." —The Caterpillar Corner (blog)