Hey Willy, See the Pyramids

by Maira Kalman

Overview

Nighttime is the best time for stories. And Lulu is the best storyteller. She knows about the three cross-eyed dogs at a fancy restaurant, about blue and green mountains where fish fly, about the family party where Maishel Shmelkin forgot to wear his pants, and of course about the noodle woman the pointy red nose. 

The stories, told by a sister to her little brother, are short and sweet and make you remember things and forget things.

Maira Kalman paints a wondrous and humor-filled world in a childs-eye view. It is full of wild invention, people familiar and outlandish, bittersweet moments and flights of fancy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681371689
Publisher:	New York Review Books
Publication date:	09/12/2017
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	707,097
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Maira Kalman is an illustrator, author, and designer. She has created many covers for The New Yorker, including the famous map of Newyorkistan (with Rick Meyerowitz). Kalman is the author of twelve children’s books, including five books about Max the dog, which will be reissued by The New York Review Children's Collection: Hey Willy, See the Pyramids and Max Makes a Million (September 2017); Ooh-la-la (Max in Love) and Max in Hollywood, Baby (February 2018); and Swami on Rye (September 2018). She also has designed fabric for Isaac Mizrahi, accessories for Kate Spade, sets for the Mark Morris Dance Company, and, with her late husband, Tibor Kalman, under the M&Co. label, clocks, umbrellas, and other accessories for the Museum of Modern Art. Her work is shown at the Julie Saul Gallery in Manhattan.

Hometown:

New York, New York

Date of Birth:

November 15, 1949

Place of Birth:

Tel Aviv, Israel

Education:

New York University, 1967-70

Website:

http://www.MairaKalman.com

Editorial Reviews

"This book has genuine warmth. A party for endearing oddballs takes place in the sunshine. Attending are many relatives, many twins, many animals, and so many sweet mutants you may feel off balance but you won’t feel bored." —Parents’ Choice Gold Award, from the Parents’ Choice Foundation

"This one is far, far out, but has a heart of gold.... The illustrations are child-like, imaginative, and surreal; their swell, bright colors contrast with the white text on black pages where the kids talk and finally ‘both sink in / and see flying chairs / and green hats / and pink things / and sink some and / slowly sink / into sleep.’ Outlandish, but born of genuine creativity and understanding. Try it." —Kirkus Reviews

"Kalman’s unique illustrations are drawn from the far reaches of the imagination. The bizarre and the commonplace are mixed brilliantly, theatrically punctuated by black pages with the dialogue of the sleepy siblings shown in white type. Although this will not suit everyone, the stream-of-consciousness style is one that many will embrace uncritically, assisted by the colorful images and humorous figures that are scattered throughout." —Publishers Weekly

"A young boy pleads with his older sister for some bedtime stories, and Lulu obliges with some brief, highly imaginative tales that are matched to perfection with Kalman’s friendly illustrations, electric and eccentric. Childlike but with a cutting, surreal edge, these pictures are wildly funny. This is a free-spirited book that will engage children on many levels." —School Library Journal

"Maira Kalman’s marvelously inventive gifts really shine in the picture-book format. I’ve long felt that her artwork, with its playful use of color and perspective, provides kids with a fantastic organic introduction to the manifold varieties of art. When my son Max was little, we spent many happy hours together enjoying Stay Up Late; Hey Willy, See the Pyramids; Chicken Soup, Boots; What Pete Ate; and more." —Lisa Pliscou, author of Dude

"Overall, Hey Willy, See the Pyramids is a truly wonderful and creative book about dreams and stories that children will love for years! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up."
—Rabbit Ears (blog)

From the Publisher

This book, by the illustrator of David Byrne's Stay Up Late , is one of the more unusual offerings of the season. Alexander has trouble falling asleep and begs his sister Lulu to tell him stories. ``How many?'' she asks. ``A million?'' ``No.'' ``Five?'' ``OK, five.'' Lulu begins her inventive, peculiar tales. Cross-eyed dogs, geniuses and bathing beauties pepper the landscape as Lulu weaves the familiar with the unfamiliar. ``Aunt Ida and Uncle Morris had a dog named Max. Max wanted to live in Paris and be a poet. In the evening Max would tiptoe down the hall, with a suitcase, trying to sneak out of the house. Ida would say to Morris, `Quick, Morris, catch the dog.' '' Later the dog sits in a cafe drinking black coffee and writing. ``Dig that boy with the box on his head. Is he buying bread? Is his name Fred?'' Kalman's unique illustrations are drawn from the far reaches of the imagination. The bizarre and the commonplace are mixed brilliantly, theatrically punctuated by black pages with the dialogue of the sleepy siblings shown in white type. Although this will not suit everyone, the stream-of-consciousness style is one that many will embrace uncritically, assisted by the colorful images and humorous figures that are scattered throughout. Ages 3-8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 3 A young boy pleads with his older sister for some bedtime stories, and Lulu obliges with some brief, highly imaginative, tales about ``four very tiny people. . .walking very fast. . .carrying little instruments''; Maishel Shmelkin, who ``forgot to wear his pants''; and Max, a dog who ``wanted to live in Paris and be a poet.'' These are not polished stories, but germs of ideas that are matched to perfection with Kalman's friendly illustrations, electric and eccentric. Child-like, but with a cutting, surreal edge, these pictures are wildly funny. While the book will have limited use in a group setting, there are secrets hidden here to fascinate children. They will happily scrutinize the illustrations, delighting in finding a dog on a unicycle, a tree-person, and exotic dancers. The funkiness of the drawings belies their sophistication. Children can use these pictures as springboards for their own creative artwork or storytelling, as they are involving and lend themselves to interpretation. The book design is distinctive. Scratchy sketches on chartreuse endpapers set the tone of the book, and white type on solid black spreads shows the children's nighttime banter. Lulu's stories generally appear on left-hand pages, facing full-page depictions of the images that she conjures. Hey Willy, See the Pyramids is a free-spirited book that will engage children on many levels. David Gale, ``School Library Journal''

School Library Journal