That Neighbor Kid

by Daniel Miyares

Acclaimed author/illustrator Daniel Miyares returns to the sweet, nostalgic tone of his beloved illustrated book, Float , in this gorgeous, spare picture book about making a new friend.

There’s a new boy in the neighborhood, and he’s up to something very curious. His next door neighbor, a girl his age with two long braids, peeps around corners and watches as he scavenges wood from the fence between their houses, drags around a hammer and a bucket of nails, and reads a book about living in trees. When she finally works up the courage to say “hi,” she finds herself invited to help build the private getaway every child has dreamed a tree house. She also finds herself with a new best friend.

Calling back to his critically-acclaimed work Float , Daniel Miyares wordlessly creates a beautiful story of friendship through his meaningful and warm illustrations that awaken imaginations of young readers.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Construction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Daniel Miyares is a critically acclaimed picture book author and illustrator. Some of his books include Float, Night Out, Pardon Me!, Night Walk to the Sea, written by Deborah Wiles, and Hope at Sea. He also illustrated Surf's Up, written by Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander. Daniel believes that our stories have the power to connect us all. Daniel's story currently takes place in Lenexa, Kansas, with his wife, their two wonderful children and a dog named Violet who gives them all a run for their money.

Reviews

[Christie Angleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way Miyares depicts the progression of time is subtle and stunning.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why do we need this book? Trees died for this?

Crappy illustrations tell a trite, hackneyed little story - predictable and dull without any development of significance. There are exactly two words in the book - and both of them are "Hi." I wanted to throw it across the room.

Compare this nonsense to how the amazing wordless trilogy by Aaron Becker (Journey, Quest, Return) does girl-meets-boy.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Love Miyares' books, & this is another stunning wordless gem to share with students. Love the message, love the story, love the illustrations and use of spot color.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Miyares' work. Love this wordless picture book featuring friendship and collaboration at the core of the book.

[Niki Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore how Miyares uses the tree as both visual barrier and connective tissue that facilitates the burgeoning friendship between two neighbor kids. In one spread, branches reach and beckon to the new neighbor as the tree straddles the gutter.

Miyares also employs verticality and horizontality as visual metaphors for connection. One character literally disassembles a fence to use its tall boards to build a tree house, beginning with horizontal ladder steps nailed up the tree trunk.

After the new neighbor follows a potential friend up the tree, a page turn brings the reader to a beautiful spread that features each child in profile, appearing directly out of the left and right edges of the spread. Miyares frames this illustration so the trunk of the tree is just below the bottom edge and so the negative space in the bottom of the gutter highlights how the tree's thicker branches curve towards each child as its smaller ones connect across the top of the gutter. (Butchering this description but look it up, it's truly lovely visually & metaphorically.)

Then color comes into play in the hitherto greyscale palette, and the two neighbors work together to construct the tree house, while having a bit of fun amidst their productivity.

The final spread is a reverse mirror image of the first full page spread and reiterates the two neighbors' newfound friendship, with the tree cozily crossing the gutter.

[Kifflie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely, mostly wordless picture book about a girl who is curious about the new boy in her neighborhood and his fascination with building a tree house. Miyares's artwork is so gentle, yet full of wonderful details.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mother saw this on my stack and picked it up... and enjoyed it very much... "a sweet book." She says it reminds her of a book we both enjoyed a few years ago, Bored - Nothing to Do!.

I do like Miyares. This is mostly wordless, but not pretentiously so like some; it just doesn't need words that's all. Teamwork! A girl who can read a blueprint! I don't care if it couldn't happen quite like this irl; it's charming nonetheless.

[Ana Calabresi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, beautiful song of a book.

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story told in picture form only. Friendship buds as two people build a treehouse together.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if you have a fear of heights, once you arrive and enter everything changes. The small space, four walls with perhaps a single door, a single window and a roof to keep out the weather, is a place where memories lasting a lifetime are created. Wishes are spoken aloud. Promises are made. Secrets are voiced.

When this haven is constructed by hand and with help, its value increases. That Neighbor Kid (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, May 9, 2017) written and illustrated by Daniel Miyares is about the art of reaching out and receiving. Taking chances can lead to a far greater joy than believed is possible.


My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...

[Roben · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this almost wordless book, a young girl watches a neighbor boy take apart a wooden fence. She follows him to see what he is up to and discovers he is building a treehouse. She offers to help - he seems unsure at first but then welcomes her - and a new friendship is born. This is a beautiful book that is illustrated in black and white until the first glimmer of friendship appears - and the illustrator adds a bit of color to each page as the friendship grows.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Virtually wordless (hi). A young girl spies a boy stymied as he try’s to build a treehouse. When she joins him, adding a hammer to his nails, their grey world starts to gain color. Simple and not terribly exciting.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this nearly wordless picture book, a curious girl wonders what the neighbor boy is up to. Not only does she find an answer but a new friendship as well.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annotated Bibliography Entry: That Neighbor Kid by: Daniel Miyares

Summary:

A little girl is curious about the little boy who recently moved into her neighborhood. This boy seems to be fascinated with tress and tree houses and she notices that he begins to build what she recognizes as a tree house. The curious little girl decides she would like to help him build this tree house. The two meet and say hi to each other (which is the only word in the book) and establish a friendship. At the end of the book after getting messy with the paint from painting the tree house, the two sit and relax enjoying each other's company. Boy and girl are now friends!

Personal Response:

There is not much too this story. It is a very simplistic geared more towards younger readers, but I like the story as a whole. I think it would be easy for students' to relate to as I am sure most young kids have made friends by helping someone out, etc. It is a simplistic story that children can easily understand as well. Wordless picture books are one of my favorite types of children's books because of the simplistic structure. It gives children a chance to focus on the illustrations to make meaning, which is a good skill for children to develop that will help them as they learn to read.

Descriptions of Illustrations:

The illustrations in this book are interesting because they are mostly black and white. It has very limited color to it and only time it has color is when the children become friends and are painting the tree house. I think this in and of itself is pretty significant. I think the black and white nature represents the loneliness that not having a friend can cause and also the loneliness associated with being the new kid in town. It only starts to become colored when the two meet and start building a friendship and collaborating with each other. I think that represents that friendship can light the way through loneliness and kind of color your world. I know this sounds a little ridiculous, but there is so much to learn from these illustrations.

Classroom Connections:

I feel that teachers could use this book and share it with students during morning meeting, etc. It is a very simplistic story and I think it would be fun to have students sitting on the carpet, listening and making meaning with the teacher as the teacher shows them the illustrations. Since it is wordless, teachers can have guiding questions that will guide students' to make their own meaning of the illustrations they see. I also think it would be interesting for students to have the chance to come up with some dialogue for the story and hear what they think the characters would be saying to each other. Also, teachers could use this book to introduce the structure of books, such as teaching the students the beginning, middle and end. Since this book is wordless, it would allow students to figure out structure relying solely on the illustrations and their own interpretations. It would give them a chance to think critically about the structure of a story.

[Nick Somsavanh · Rating 5 out of 5]

That Neighbor Kid (2017) is a wordless picture book written and illustrated by Daniel Miyares that tells the visual story of a young boy moving into a neighborhood and reading a book on Living in Trees in his new backyard. Unbeknownst to the young male, his new neighbor, a young girl around the same age, spies on him from a far and continually progresses closer to him as he begins building his tree house. While he attempts to build the tree house, he finds himself confused by the instructions in the book, only to get bailed out and helped from the neighborhood girl. Together, they start working on the tree house while also building a budding friendship. Not the entire book is wordless as there is a two page spread of the two meeting face to face and greeting each other with "Hi." However, the rest of the book reads like a silent movie shown in widescreen; interestingly enough, most of the color palette of this book is made up of a spectrum of grays. This changes when the two new friends start building the tree house and brighter colors (orange, reds, yellows) are introduced to help show the blossoming of both characters' worlds. The book can be read by an adult to a developing young reader or be read independently by any Pre-K to 2nd grader for fun/leisure and to help with their own visual literacy. Even without words, the book should help young students develop ways to recognize the flow and beats of a story.

[Megan Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

What That Neighbor Kid, by Daniel Miyares, lacks in words it does not lack in heart. In this almost wordless picture book, the beautiful watercolor illustrations show a story of a boy who moves into the neighborhood next door to a curious girl. She finds herself shyly watching the boy as he endeavors to build something peculiar. Finally, she gets the courage to go say "hi" and from there joins him in his building, while also building friendship. Pictures really are worth a thousand words. Containing just the word "hi", Daniel Miyares tells a timeless heartfelt story of friendship and youth. I love how as the story progresses a little more color seeps into the grayscale pictures which reflects the curiosity and growth in the story.
This postmodern wordless picture book would be a great book to share with elementary-age students because it tells a story that is familiar to all. That is, meeting someone new and having the courage to step out and say hello. It would be a great mentor text to demonstrate how readers make inferences. Because there are no words, students could practice making inferences and connections with the detailed story told in the illustrations.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miyares, Daniel That Neighbor Kid. PICTURE BOOK. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2017. $17.99. Content: G.

In this nearly-wordless picture book, a new boy moves into the neighborhood. Through watching him, the girl next-door realizes that he is trying to build a treehouse -- and struggling mightily. Thanks to her kindness and her construction skills, the boy makes a new friend and a solid treehouse.

This is a lovingly-illustrated tale of budding friendship. The wordlessness fits the shy, awkward feelings that come in a new relationship, and the selective colors are a beautiful touch. I also love that the girl is the one with the construction skills, thus defying stereotypes and encouraging STEM projects for both boys and girls. All in all, a nice story that will likely leave readers satisfied and perhaps even inspired.

Pre-K, EL (K-3) -- ADVISABLE. Reviewed by Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

[Monica Lomeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impression: Relate-able and creates a heart warming feeling.m
Impact: Readers can connect to the characters, especially young readers who might not have good comprehension but still enjoy books.
Constructive Opinion: Even though it only had One word, I thought this book was very cute and creates a warm heart feeling of friendship.
Two Design Elements: Light grey, white color scheme start with a senseless feeling, when a cute friendship is built the heart colors up.

A dull start that leads to building a cute friendship that brings color to a character who was afraid to make friends. Created with water color, the literature of the story is told in very clean drawings. Well suited to tale about a lovingly handcraft with the help of the neighbor.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this nearly wordless picture book, the reader sees a lovely friendship develop through the construction of a treehouse. The book opens with a moving truck in front of a house. There are two shy neighbors peeking at each other. As the boy starts to build a treehouse from the boards in the fence, the girl comes and starts helping. I'm assuming the boy gets the proper permission before he starts ripping the fence apart... Anyway, I love the way the author tells this whole narrative with few words (they each say "hi") and illustrations with a limited palette (only a few of the tree leaves and the paint have color).

[Bmack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is beautifully illustrated wordless book. It starts out with pencil drawings of a reading a book in the back yard and we see part of a moving truck next door. The next two pages show the boy upside down in the tree still looking at his book, "Living in Trees" while a little girl peaks over the fence. As the story progresses the little girl watches the boy start to construct a treehouse and eventually climbs the tree with her hammer. As they work together to construct the treehouse the illustrator adds colorful leaves and then more color as their friendship deepens. Really nicely done!

[Goshen PL Childrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

At this point it is a given that every book in our wordless book shelf is also on our staff favorites shelf. That's just the way it is, I don't make the rules. There is something about them that is so enchanting. I think it is a mix of the simple, yet engaging story and the the detailed, yet subtle illustrations.

This is a wonderful story of building a tree house and discovering new friends. There really isn't much more than that, but there doesn't need to be. A book is only called on to tell one story, and this one tells that one story very well.

Pay attention to the leaves throughout, and notice what they add to the story.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy starts building a tree house, but seems to be having issues. A curious new neighbor comes to his aid and the two find a new friendship and more color in their lives through the experience.

This book is entirely wordless except for when the two kids each say 'Hi.' Miyares conveys feelings with facial expressions and the use of color. (It starts off gray scale and then color starts seeping in when the girl starts helping.) It's a sweet wordless story of a friendship forged through a shared experience, and you get the feeling that both kids needed the friendship. (There's a moving van at the beginning so readers can infer that the girl just moved in.)

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time shutting my adult mind off while reading this book. I saw that the fence was a metaphor for tearing down walls and building friendships. I saw the addition of color as a visual cue that their friendship had begun to blossom. I just couldn’t stop thinking crazy, adult thoughts, such as “Wouldn’t the parents notice the kids tearing down the fence?”, “Two ten-year-olds built a small home in a tree in an afternoon?”, “Isn’t the girl from the home on the left, oh wait, we’re looking from the backyard now,” and “That tree fort’s floor is larger than my kitchen.”

But kids won’t likely worry about any of that. They’ll enjoy a sweet story about friendship.

[Hannah Benham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awards: Wisconsin State Reading Association Reading List

Appropriate Grade Level: Kindergarten+

Review: This cute story details the budding friendship of two neighbors through illustrations alone. Although short, it is very sweet!

Reaction: I think is book would be great for in-class use, but just as an independent reading book it may get boring for students.

In-Class Use:

1) This book is a great way to introduce the concept of making predictions. While showing the students the pages, the teacher can ask "What do we think will happen next? Make a prediction." This is also a good time to emphasize the importance of explaining your answer. "And why did you predict that?".

[Selena Quinones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miyares depicts the story of two neighbors who work together to build a treehouse between their homes. The illustrations begin in complete black and white sketches and as the story progresses and children become friends as they build together color begins to appear in the drawings. I think the addition of color helps develop the feeling of a growing bond between the children. The story develops well and can help children relate to building friendships and the tree house can represent the beautiful creations and experiences that children can build through friendships. Overall the book develops well and is beautifully made.

[Great Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle, nearly wordless story of a new friendship. As the moving truck pulls away the new girl to the neighborhood glimpses and eventually approaches, her new neighbor, a young boy planning a treehouse. As the companionship grows the treehouse is completed and a friendship begun! The story ends with the friends waving to each other from their rooms with the treehouse between their houses. The black and white illustrations are soft, with coloring gradually added as the story develops. A charming tale of "newly built" friendship.
Reviewer #15

[Margaret Boling · Rating 3 out of 5]

11/24/2017 ** A lovely (nearly) wordless picture book which begins in black & white with increasing color as the friendship develops. I appreciated the flip in gender roles - the girl helping the boy improve the tree house. I was thrown out of the story by the girl's jumper (dress) and the really elaborate treehouse they built.

Caldecott ?? - I don't see what this book does that's innovative or different from past books. I don't think it will be the winner.

I chose to read this book because it was on several Mock Caldecott 2018 lists.

[Mrs.MakesReadingFun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit torn with this one!
The illustrations are beautiful, and I loved the progression from black/white to more colour as the children became friends. I think for the art alone- I would give this book five stars.

I typically LOVE wordless picture books-but.. this one did have two words (albeit, Hi & Hi) and it didn't have too much of a story. Neighbours meet, build a treehouse, become friends.

So overall, I think it is a lovely little book. But for a read-aloud with my students, it wouldn't have a lot to unpack or take away from.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A “nearly” wordless picture book that’s such fun to follow, then to celebrate the end. One young girl moves into a neighborhood and notices a boy reading in a tree. She peeks in, also sees a project, and then that he is struggling with his plans. What happens then will make readers smile. Sometimes friendships are made with successful collaborations! Illustrations slowly have color as the story emerges.