High Five

February 1, 2019
The Dragons Love Tacos (2012) crew invites readers to the 75th Annual High Five Tournament.It's not going to be a walkover, as opponents in the five rounds range from Gigantic the Bear ("700 Pounds of Hair") and, after her, dizzying bouncer Kangaroo Paul to the ultimate challenger, eight-limbed Octopus Jones. Fortunately, young contenders have a yetilike ex-champ in their corner to offer vigorous if unevenly rhymed and metered commentary ("Was that your new signature slap? / My grandma fives better than that!") as well as savvy advice on hand positioning and style points. Accentuated by block letters in diverse hues and the occasional outsized "HIGH FIVE!" Salmieri's scribbly ink-and-colored-pencil drawings of the all-animal cast, audience, and panel of judges reflect the infectiously rising suspense and wild excitement as the unseen "Kid" the narrator addresses sends each foe in succession reeling away in stunned defeat. Just one thing left to do: "Hold up your trophy / and shout out 'woo-hoo!' / The new high five champ is you!" Along with the verbal coaching, a chart of variations on "The Classic," such as "The Windmill," "The Double Behind the Back Slam," and even "The High Foot," offers further challenges to ambitious fivers of all genders. As characters frequently address "Kid" directly and hold up dramatically foreshortened hands or paws to viewers, caregivers should be ready for this book to take a beating.A high-spirited impetus to clap hands--or better yet, someone else's. (Picture book. 5-8)

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March 4, 2019
In this interactive picture book by the Dragons Love Tacos team, a high-five champion called Sensei, who resembles Bigfoot and wears a multicolored belt, offers to apprentice readers. It’s all to prepare for the annual high-five contest, where, Rubin writes, “high five fans from far and near/ all press their palms against the rest,/ to see whose high five is the best.” Spreads invite readers to try out their best high fives, and Salmieri employs forced perspective so that each contestant’s slapping hand extends right up to the image’s foreground. The narrative arc is relatively straightforward: there’s the training, in which the reader apparently makes a very favorable impression; followed by the big competition, which slowly ups the ante; culminating in the reader matching slaps with Octopus Jones (“He has eight hands, you just have two.../ a little uneven, it’s true”) before the winner is revealed. Although Rubin’s rhymes are only serviceable and the plot feels less sturdy than the team’s other collaborations, the pictures offer plenty of room to receive readers’ high-five innovations, and the pages crackle with Salmieri’s neon palette and scratchy, kinetic pencil lines. Ages 3–5.

June 14, 2019

PreS-Gr 2-The 75th Annual High Five Tournament approaches, and Sensei (a large Yeti-like creature) is looking for a new student to train for the competition. There's much to practice and more to learn, from stretching to education on various high five methods. When the big day arrives, one competitor after another takes on, and is defeated by, the kid, until the final round against Octopus Jones. After an amazing eight-handed high five, the kid emerges victorious, taking home the High Five Tournament trophy. An interesting concept will elicit giggles and enthusiasm from readers, and neon colored pencil illustrations, reminiscent of 80s spandex suits, fill pages with vibrancy and energy. The text itself holds the story back-inconsistent or forced rhyme and uneven flow make this a difficult read-aloud, and the book's length will likely lose readers' interest before the final pages. This humorous play on a silly competition with sports-movie-montage storytelling is a witty idea, but doesn't quite deliver. VERDICT An additional purchase for collections short on picture books for older readers.-Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, St. Paul Public Library

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
Sasquatch-like narrator Sensei rhymes its commentary for this year's high-five contest and provides occasional tips: "I teach young fivers what to do... / my next apprentice could be you." The story is amusingly meta (the animal judges keep voting for "Kid," a.k.a. the reader), and the art, which resembles an elementary schooler's colored-pencil drawings, is perfect for the as-if-from-a-child's-mind premise.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)