The Five Misfits

by Beatrice Alemagna

Overview

There were five of them altogether. Five misfits.

The five had never amounted to much in life, nor did they feel like doing anything. And then one day, from who knows where, came an extraordinary fellow...

When Mr Perfect comes to stay, the five misfits find themselves questioning what their purpose in life is. Can they teach him that not fitting in is more fun than trying to be perfect?

A quirky, allegorical picture book from the multi award-winning creator of A Lion in Paris.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847806376
Publisher:	Frances Lincoln Children's Bks
Publication date:	05/04/2017
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 12.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Beatrice Alemagna was born in Bologna, Italy in 1973. When she was a child her biggest heroes were Pippi Longstocking, Marcovaldo, Karlsson on the roof, Silvester, and Meffi. At age 8, she decided that, whatever the cost, when she grew up she would become a painter and a writer of novels. Her picture books have won multiple awards including the Landerneau Prize in France for Un Grand Jour De Rien, and she has been selected four times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Her books include A Lion in Paris (Tate Publishing, 2014), The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy (Enchanted Lion Books, 2015), and What is a Child? (Tate Publishing, 2016). Beatrice lives in Paris, France. 

Editorial Reviews

05/08/2017
Five idiosyncratic outsiders share a topsy-turvy house in Alemagna’s proudly off-kilter story, originally published in Italy. There’s the bean-shaped Punctured One with “four big holes in the middle of his tummy”; the Folded One, whose voluminous body is constructed from overlapping book pages; upside-down and constantly sleepy residents; and a big, gray “bundle of oddities” who “was all wrong, from head to toe.” The arrival of a handsome stranger, the Perfect One, tests the companions’ confidence, but their quirks are quickly revealed to be assets. “I never get upset,” replies the Punctured One. “Anger passes right through me.” Visually, the book is as unusual as its housemates: Alemagna’s mixed-media, collage-style images have a slapdash quality that supports the idea of finding joy in imperfection. Even the so-called Perfect One is something of a weirdo, truth be told, with a beak nose, ginormous pantaloons, and a braid of pink hair to rival Rapunzel’s. Readers who feel hapless and error-prone can take heart in the Wrong One’s syntactically bizarre yet wonderful rallying cry: “I, who am a catastrophe, when I manage to do anything right, it’s time to party!” Ages 2–5. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"The hot pink endpapers reinforce this story’s positive message. Both the collages, whose myriad images will captivate readers, and the text will help kids realize that character rather than looks or talents determines a person’s value. VERDICT An offbeat but interesting option for group sharing that would make a good choice for general purchase."—School Library Journal - School Library Journal

Selected as the number one book inÿThe Best Children's Picture Books Summer 2015:

"A beautiful idea, exquisitely illustrated."

'"The Five Misfits" is a stonkingly brilliant offering from the fabulous Beatrice Alemanga. With an inimitable contemporary sytle all of her own, Alemanga has produced another gem of a book...'

Sarah Yewman

Listed in Children's Buyer's Guide 'Picture Book Hardback' category - 'What happens when Mr Perfect visits the Five Misfits? An allegorical tale promoting inclusion and individuality'

Listed in Children's Buyer's Guide 'Picture Book Hardback' category - 'What happens when Mr Perfect visits the Five Misfits? An allegorical tale promoting inclusion and individuality'

Selected as the number one book inÿThe Best Children's Picture Books Summer 2015:

"A beautiful idea, exquisitely illustrated."

'"The Five Misfits" is a stonkingly brilliant offering from the fabulous Beatrice Alemanga. With an inimitable contemporary sytle all of her own, Alemanga has produced another gem of a book...'

Sarah Yewman

From the Publisher

04/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—Five misfits who "had never amounted to much in life" discover their worth when they receive an unexpected visit from an "extraordinary fellow" who is "handsome [and] perfect." Alemagna introduces readers to each of these strange creatures, rendered in mixed-media collages that include clippings of French newspapers. One of the misfits is punctured with holes; another is "folded in half"; the third is so feeble, he is constantly "tired and sleepy"; the fourth is "upside down"; and the fifth is just totally "wrong from head to toe." The artist depicts their home with roofs, chimneys, and windows so askew that it all seems ready to fall over. The visitor, on the other hand, looks down on the world from a great height, his face haughty and his upraised arm calling attention to "sublime" red hair that stretches across a spread. When he declares the misfits "GOOD FOR NOTHING!," they notice attributes of which they were previously unaware: the ability to resist becoming angry, to summon a constant supply of happy thoughts, and to see things from a different perspective. In the end, it's the perfect one who ends up the fool, outstretched on the floor, "his mouth agape," while the misfits leave, "happier than ever." The hot pink endpapers reinforce this story's positive message. Both the collages, whose myriad images will captivate readers, and the text will help kids realize that character rather than looks or talents determines a person's value. VERDICT An offbeat but interesting option for group sharing that would make a good choice for general purchase.—Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA

School Library Journal

2017-02-14
What will happen when five bizarre creatures, all cohabiting an equally topsy-turvy house, are visited by the Perfect One?The lightly self-deprecating misfits all have unique peculiarities: "four big holes in the middle of his tummy," "folded in half," "feeble, always tired and sleepy," "upside down," and "all wrong, from head to toe. A bundle of oddities." The sophisticated, whimsical, mixed-media art renders all the characters benign and lovable: the tummy-holed one smiles as he munches an apple (where will it go?); a collage of folded newspaper is clothing for the apparently female, folded-in-half misfit; the rotund, all-wrong misfit rides, absurdly, a tiny red bicycle. Both art and text continue to enchant and amuse, as a character described as extraordinary and perfect—but equally ridiculous in appearance, with his long orange tresses and antiquated bloomers—suddenly shows up to visit the misfits. This "Perfect One"—who is actually perfectly vain and condescending—temporarily deflates the egos of the misfits by challenging them to come up with solid, purposeful ideas. However, they readily and nonaggressively push back against the Perfect One's accusation that they are therefore good for nothing. The anti-bullying and pro-individuality messages are cloaked in art and text that promise smiles, if not laughter, from readers of all ages. The concept of multiple intelligences takes a joy ride. (Picture book. 4-10)

Kirkus Reviews