Mr. Nogginbody Gets a Hammer

Mr. Nogginbody is a jauntier and more surreal version of Humpty Dumpty: his bowler hat, collar, and tie are stacked together at the top of his ovoid body, above his marvelously expressive face. Thrilled to discover that a hammer can fix a nail that's popped up from his floor, he starts seeing nails everywhere (some readers may recognize the classic law of the instrument at work), and it's hammer time all the time for objects that even slightly resemble nails. Pulverizing a lamp's turn knob, a showerhead, a flower, and all the pieces of a chess game in the park, he joyously declares "Done!" "Much better!" and "Fixed it!" (or "Flggst bit!" when the now-broken shower erupts on his face). Just when he's ready to whack his own noggin--a wonderful moment of comic suspense--an epiphany arrives: "Maybe I can't fix everything with a hammer. Because not everything is a nail!" Drawn and hand-lettered in rich black ink and punctuated by washes of bright color, Shannon's latest has the timeless exuberance and psychological profundity of a great comedy. In short: nailed it. Ages 3-5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 3--Mr. Nogginbody, who looks a lot like Humpty Dumpty with a suit and derby, loves to slide in his socks...until a protruding nail in the floorboards ruins his fun. He rushes to Dan's Hardware and gets himself a big, red hammer. On his first try, he knocks the loose nail right out of its hole; on the second, he slams his thumb. The third is a charm; encouraged, "Mr. Fix-It" rushes around the house looking for other nails to fix. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm results in a smashed picture frame, lamp, and shower head. "This nail is leaking! Flggst blt!" Then, Shannon takes it to the next level; Mr. Nogginbody mistakes a flower, prairie dog, sprinkler head, chess piece, and fly for a nail and really "fixes" them. Finally, there is an epiphany. "Whoa...Maybe I can't fix everything with a hammer. Because not everything is a nail!" Once again, the author of the wildly popular "No, David" books has hit the nail on the head. Readers will laugh at the silly antics of the clueless protagonist, who, just like "David," redeems himself in the end. VERDICT The humorous concept and brief text married to hilarious illustrations make this a great choice for storytime or one-on-one sharing.--Barbara Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY