I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Alfie Runs Away
picture book in Hardcover edition on April 27, 2010 and has 40 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Illustrator: Lauren Castillo
A standalone (so far) children’s picture book taking a realistic approach, lol, to an angry young man.
My Take
I love it!! It’s third-person point-of-view, as Cadow portrays Mom with that understanding helpfulness while Castillo’s blend of colored pencils and charcoal are gloriously clean with color judiciously applied to the important subjects of that page spread.
I love it. I know, I know, I said that already, but really, I love it. Alfie is so standoffish about his mom’s helpfulness, and I did adore that hug. The overpacking was quite practical as well, lol.
It’s a case of allowing your child to assert his (or her) independence and come to the right conclusions in their own time…without being badgered about it. In fact, I suspect this might be a better story for Mom and Dad to take a lesson from, even though it would be fun for everyone. Think of all the speculating y’all could do about what you’d put in that bag!
The Story
Enough is enough. They’re his favorite shoes, and there is no way that Alfie is gonna let Mom throw them away.
He’ll show her…and save his shoes!
The Characters
Alfie is quite decided about what he’ll take. Buddy Bear wants to go too. Mom is perfect.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a white wall with a pencil textured floor over a pale gray. A baseboard has been lined in with the same thickness of charcoal used to outline that runaway bag with Buddy Bear in suspenders popping out of it. Young Alfie, in an olive green-on-fern green horizontal-striped T-shirt over black cuffed pants, white socks, and red slip-ons, has the straps of the bag hooked over his shoulders and a determined look and step as he strides off to the right. The title uses the same red to outline the teddy-bear brown fill for the letters. These colors are repeated in the author’s and illustrator’s names just below the title. Nice, clean, and direct.
The title is the whole point when Alfie Runs Away.
