review: New Socks

New Socks written and illustrated by Bob Shea. Little, Brown 2007 (978-0-316-01357) $12.95

This story is all about the thrill of something new, in this case giant orange socks, so brand-new pristine that stars sparkle on their toes. A bright yellow, kidney bean shaped chicken in big black glasses is just proud to bursting over his New Socks, which have a thrilling introduction to Wood Floor ("Whoa!"), help the chicken "not be scared on the big-kids slide," and even earn him a visit with the president. "What can't these New Socks do?" the chicken wonders. "Now I'm all excited to get pants!" Kids can easily relate to this exuberant narrator, while adults will enjoy the offbeat hipness of the presentation. Curves and odd proprotions are are used very sucessfully to suggest movement; the stylish, extravagent shapes and minimalistic backgrounds will annoy those who don't like computer-generated illustrations but appeal to just about everyone else. (2 & up)