Review: New Socks

By Bob Shea

Little, Brown and Company; 2007; 40 pages

Picture Book; Wildcard

Ages: 2 - 7

ISBN: 978-0-316-01357-4

Leon is pleased as punch with his new orange socks. When wearing them he feels unstoppable!

My Thoughts:
This book makes my top ten for picture books ever. It is about socks, and I knit socks. The socks are orange, which is my all time favorite color. I read it to my family (all adults), I read it to the boys I babysat (3 and 4), and I read it to my friend (25). Everyone enjoyed it for different reasons. That is what I most appreciated about this book: its broad based appeal and versatility.

The exciting illustrations will catch the eye and hold the interest of even small children, while the brief text will not be too much for them. (Honestly, I think this would translate wonderfully into a board book.) At the same time, the pictures are hip and slick...not too baby-ish for older readers. Again, the simplicity of the text is such that it can also double as an easy reader. I think that beginning readers would be able to read it independently or to a parent. The graphic design style screams to be made into a flannel board for story time. The plot translates well into a story telling rather than reading format. (I plan on incorporating it into a family story time I am doing on knit goods: hats, mittens, scarves...and now socks!)

The Thoughts of Others:

Publisher's Weekly gave the book an overall good review - pointing out the exciting illustrations and over-the-top antics as positive. However, they summed up the review with a word of warning, fearing that "like its title product, it [would be] unlikely to seem fresh after repeated use."

Joy Fleishhacker's review for School Library Journal was also enthusiastic, as she raved about the illustrations and pacing. She drew connections between this book and the Mo Willems "Pigeon" series, suggesting it as a read-a-like.