I Feel Five!

'This ... beautifully told story should prompt intriguing conversations on how events like birthdays infuse meaning into the flow of days that makes up our lives even when any actual day-to-day change is barely evident. Fritz and his Marmaduke-size dog make excellent companions on this philosophical journey, leavening big questions with kid-scaled humor. Publishers Weekly Murguia has perfectly captured the child perspective here, and Fritz s trials and tribulations will be easily recognizable to young listeners. The idea that the feeling of five comes not with a quiet reflection but with an action is convincing and effective, and the independent apple-picking is a tidy callback to the opening spread, where Fritz s father must lift him up to grab apples from a fruit-filled tree. The line and watercolor illustrations pair tidy linework with muted, somewhat autumnal palette, awash with dusty reds, pale yellows, and washed-out blues in airy compositions; gently varied compositions add rhythm, and spare drafts - manship is still plenty accessible as Fritz works through his problem. Those who, like Fritz, feel five (or thereabouts) will greatly appreciate this birthday tale. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Self-assured pen, ink and watercolor illustrations produce vivid renderings of a young boy s bounce, his tousled hair, bony ankles, fluttering superhero cape, inflated birthday expectation and subsequent deflation. Fritz's day plays out in soft watercolor scenes that make fine use of page turns, page composition and supremely crisp white space. ... Every child knows how it feels to squirm gleefully in the throes of a big buildup and also how it feels to stifle tears after a big letdown, making Fritz s story universally appealing. Empathetic and sweet, this simply told, well-illustrated book helps not only with birthday bummers, but with negotiating many of life s highs and lows.' - Kirkus Reviews