Mr. Nogginbody Gets a Hammer by David Shannon (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- Mr. Nogginbody Gets a Hammer by David Shannon
2019 [40p]
Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-324-00344-1 $17.95
E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-324-00345-8 $17.48
Reviewed from galleys R 6-9 yrs
After Mr. Nogginbody snags his foot on a protruding nail, he purchases a new red hammer. He's so pleased by the results of his tool that he determines he must "fix" every "nail" he finds. As it so happens, a lot of things in the world look like nails, and Mr. Nogginbody is soon hammering lamp knobs, showerheads, and even flowers, until eventually he realizes that other tools may be more useful. The smudgy, scribbly style of the charcoal black lines is anarchically reminiscent of Shannon's famed David series (No, David, BCCB 9/98, etc.), but the palette is very different: pops of vintage modern and pastel digital color against lots of white space strategically contrast with Mr. Nogginbody's monochromatic figure. The style brings to mind the macabre stylings and playful catastrophe of Edward [End Page 140] Gorey, while the surreal qualities of Mr. N's world—one where bodies are made of faces and the taboo of "look, but don't touch" is regularly violated—would be at home in the limericks of Edward Lear. In a canon full of pleasant stories about nice children doing lovely things, Mr. Nogginbody is a refreshingly flawed hero whose naïve rampage promises plenty of giggles.
