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Reviewed by:
  • Max and Marla by Alexandra Boiger
  • Elizabeth Bush
Boiger, Alexandra Max and Marla; written and illus. by Alexandra Boiger. Putnam, 2015 [32p]
ISBN 978-0-399-17504-6 $17.99
Reviewed from galleys R 3-6 yrs

While the snow accumulates outside, Max and his best bud, Marla the owl, stretch out on a sled in front of the TV watching a luge event. Watching is nowhere near as fun as doing for these “real life, honest-to-goodness, cross your heart, W-i-n-t-e-r O-l-y-m-p-i-c-s Olympians,” and soon they’re bundled up and out the door, ready to take on the formidable slope outside Max’s house. The sled, however, is going nowhere, and the true Olympians are soon back indoors waxing the equipment (well, Max is waxing, while Marla snoozes after devouring a bag of donuts). On the next day’s try, a ferocious gust of wind picks the friends up and tumbles them into a tree. This requires a night for recuperation, and on day three, they wrest victory from failure by making snow angels, building a snowman, and returning home to hang donut medals around their necks. The storyline is wispy as a snowflake, but the watercolor illustrations are superb, with the chilly white slopes and blue-shadowed houses and trees forming a softly undulating backdrop for the figures of Max and Marla, who are crisply outlined in thin ink lines and clad in matching rusty red helmets. Marla’s deadpan expression and the tone of do-or-die determination in the text provide a touch of humor and encourage the audience to grab their sleds, saucers, or lunch trays and hit the slope. [End Page 135]

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