Probuditi!

Great Van Allsburg picture book, very cute for exploration in family dynamics, it may be a good one to read alond with 'The Relatives Came' by Rylant

Chris Van Allsburg’s Probuditi! is a funny and clever tale about mischievous young boys and the unappreciated work of their younger siblings. The setting for this story is completely realistic, no magic or wild imaginations required. The characters are everyday and ordinary-two siblings and a

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friend, absent parents. However, unlike most days, it is it he younger sibling who gets the one-up, and through sheer wit. In this book Van Allsburg shows his mastery of pace. With each page turn the story moves on at the pace of a child’s attention span-text is superimposed on the picture, as if trying not to be a drag on the story, which is already alive in illustrations. His snapshot style of illustration catches character faces at their most natural-and not always flattering. Van Allsburgs characters are never posed, always captured. Even figures barely caught in the frame betray their involvement in telling postures and facial expressions. This feature adds an extra level to each reading, and value to the experience as a whole. Recommended for school and public libraries alike, as a welcome addition to any collection of picture books.

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Calvin likes to play practical jokes on his little sister, until she plays one back on him. Fantastic, typical Van Allsburg illustrations in sepia tones, heavy in double page spreads with inset text. Pictures accurately portray the action and characterization of the kids. The text in this story,

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however, is disjointed with poor transitions in the action. Recommend for any picture book collection and for independent readers up to a 1st grade reading level.

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Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Appropriateness: Primary/Intermediate
Review: This book is a good example of realistic fiction because the narrative presents a true depiction of life for two siblings. The conflicts present are ones that readers can relate to. Calvin goes to see a hypnotist

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extraordinaire on his birthday and after he and his friend decide to make a hypnotizing machine. They use the machine on Calvin’s little sister, Trudy as their first subject. The machine works and Trudy is convinced she is a dog. Now, they have to snap Trudy out of her trance before the mother comes home.
Media: This book is a good example of crayon and charcoal because there are no obvious abrupt lines like one would see with pen or pencils. The figures are more defined with the shading and the images have a softer appearance.
Characterization: Calvin is a round character because he encounters a conflict, which is always watching over his little sister. He has always disliked babysitting his sister, so on his birthday he uses her in one of his experiments. Readers are able to relate to Calvin and become more connected to his character as he experiences the conflicts in the book.

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Personal Response:
Chris Van Allsburg is one of my favorite author/illustrators and this book did not disappoint. I loved this tale of the love/hate relationship between a brother and sister. It reminded me of my kids and the way they tease each other.

Curricular Connections:
This is a great

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read-aloud for story time.

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As usual, Van Allsburg's illustrations, done here in warm sepia tones, are excellent and convey the action and emotions of the characters brilliantly. The story itself did not did not engage me as much as some of his past works have done, although I did like the twist at the end.

A boy gets two tickets to see a magician/hypnotist for his birthday. And instead of inviting his little sister, he invites his best friend instead. When they return, they want to try their magic on the boy's sister and attempt to hypnotize her with their own homemade machine. She goes into a state

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of trance and then the boys can't remember what to say to get it undone. They start to freak out for fear of getting into trouble. The ending has a great surprise when the joke is on them - The little sister had been tricking them the entire time!

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"Probuditi!" is a fun story about a boy named Calvin who gets two tickets to see Lomax the Magnificent for his birthday. Calvin brings along his friend Rodney and they watch in amazement as Lomax hypnotizes a woman and gets her to act like a chicken. Eager to try out Lomax's techniques, Calvin and

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Rodney hypnotize Calvin's little sister, Trudy, while their mom is at the salon and store. The hypnotism is successful and Trudy begins to act like a dog, however, the boys can't remember the magic word to make Trudy snap out of her hypnotic stage. Panicked, the boys take Trudy to see Lomax but he is leaving town. Back at home, the boys finally get Trudy to snap out of being a dog - just as Calvin and Trudy's mom pulls in the driveway.

Chris Van Allsburg's characteristic illustrations bring the story to life. "Probuditi!" is a fantastical story with a unique plot. The ending is clever and funny.

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Great story! Wonderful illustrations!

A story of hypnotism with brown/off-color Illustrations. Very imaginative and captures the interest of children with illustration support for text.

I think I'd give this one a 3.5 if available. Not among my favorite Van Allsburg books, but still, a good one. Enjoyed the sepia tone of the illustrations, and the ending was priceless!

Nothing like a sister that can repay her brother for mistreating her with some well played cleverness. I really enjoyed it.

This is an excellent to read to kids because of the unknown ending. This book well introduce creative thought to kids.

Calvin likes to play tricks on his younger sister Trudy. After he and his friend witness a hypnosis by Lomax the Magnificent, Calvin does the same to Trudy and "turns her into" a dog. Beautiful artwork as always and empowering characterization for the female character at the end of the book - does

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she remember, or not?

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A clever little sister one-ups her prank playing older brother. A bit mean spirited, but lovely graphite illustrations.

To be honest, I was not very pulled into this story...at first. At the end, a slight comment from a little sister changes the whole story, making it much more interesting. As a reader,you then can replay the story through a different lens. This would be a fun book to use in class to play with

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endings and/or twists.

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The story was very imaginative and of course, the illustrations were wonderful of course, it’s Chris Allsburg. Can’t say much, but I really loved the ending.

The first time I have read a book where the title was designed to be forgotten. While the title may be intentionally elusive, the charm of the story is not. Van Allsburg has set among a black family a universal tale of sibling rivalry. Though simply told, the illustrations contain his usual magic

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of capturing big moments but understating them at the same time. The illustrations are done in browns and tans which convey how the kids see their world while also giving the book an instant feeling of nostalgia--of being kids again right along with the characters. Like the kids you are pulled in and left feeling surprise and wonder by the end.

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