Abstract
Hutchins, Hazel. Snap! Illus. Dušan Petričić. Toronto, ON: Annick Press, 2015. Print.Evan is the proud owner of a brand new pack of crayons. When a crayon breaks, Evan is introduced to a world of creative possibilities as he uses the broken crayon pieces in different ways an Evan discovers how to combine his remaining crayons to create new colours as other crayons get lost or used up. Hailing from Southern Alberta, Canmore-based author, Hazel Hutchins, has written several books for children and young adults. Serbia-based children’s book illustrator, Dušan Petričić, is known for his artwork on In the Tree House and The Man with the Violin. Hutchins and Petričić teamed up previously, to create 2009 Alberta Literary Award-winning Mattland.In Snap!, Hutchins uses repetition, onomatopoeia to great effect, creating a sense of rhythm and momentum as Evan experiences repeated challenges and successes during his colouring activities. Petričić employs a riot of colour and a messy, scribbled style that capture the main character’s expressions, personality and passion as Evan draws with wild abandon.Snap! is a great story for a child who has received their first set of crayons. Young readers will relate to Evan’s feelings of frustration and desperation as his crayon collection is depleted, and they will be surprised and inspired by his discoveries. Children will delight in the playful illustrations and won’t be able to resist experimenting with their own crayons after reading about Evan’s adventures.One piece of the story may concern parents of young children – when Evan rubs the crayons on paper and reveals the shapes of various objects underneath the page, one of the items is an open safety pin.The story’s ending is really a beginning of another adventure – a nice addition would have been some instructions on how to make the paper-folded models illustrated at the end of the book.While the publisher recommends this book for children 4-7 years of age, it may be more appropriate for those on the younger end of that range.Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Maria TanMaria C. Tan is a Medical Librarian at the Abdul Khaliq Library in Alberta Health Services’ Cross Cancer Institute and a former editorial team member of the Deakin Review. She firmly believes that children's literature is an essential component in the fountain of youth.
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