The Unlucky Kid
Eating fries at the beach. Creative ways to pull a tooth. Fishing for something just a bit too big. Life can be tricky when you’re a kid.
Published by Kids Can Press, Bob Holt delivers three stories of unlucky mishaps featuring Quin, along with Quin’s family, friends, and a deadpan cat named Kitty. Each story begins simply enough, but Quin is The Unlucky Kid, and nothing he does ever seems to go to plan. Hang out at the beach while eating a burger and fries? That horde of seagulls is mighty interested in getting a treat. Want to pull a loose tooth? It’s more exciting to have a multi-step plan involving string, pets, and one excited sister. Fishing at the pond? Some of those fish might be bigger than Quin. As each adventure escalates to increasingly wild circumstances, Quin and the others manage to find laughter no matter what goes wrong.
Holt’s stories are simple and self-contained—each with a setup, escalation, and payoff embracing plenty of slapstick humor and visual gags. There isn’t a lot present in the way of deeper themes or lessons, but the joy and humor of the book is consistent and laughter is clearly the point as Quin manages to face anything that comes his way. As wild as each story becomes, the initial setups will be familiar to plenty of kids. And between jokes about eating worms and accidentally taking flight on kites, Holt understands how to elicit laughter from young readers.
The art is full of energy, with text bubbles exploding across the page, exaggerated expressions, and an eye for visual humor as things go from bad to worse for young Quin. The colors are bright, the scenes are dramatic, and Kitty is always there to roll his eyes and offer some commentary on what’s happening next. The comic style lends itself to action and humor, carrying much of the storytelling burden as the chaos unfolds.
It’s a book clearly aimed at kids, and the content should be suitable to all but the most sensitive young readers. There’s mild depictions of injury on occasion and exaggerated accidents, but Quin always bounces right back with a bright attitude so none of the harm lasts long. Overall, The Unlucky Kid sets out with a simple mission, and Holt serves up a healthy amount of physical comedy and fun situations. Kids will appreciate the silliness of the whole book, but it’s also full of enough life and fun that parents and older readers should be able to enjoy themselves as well. For any collection looking for a bit of slapstick absurdity for young readers, Holt’s book should offer a quick and easy read that’s still plenty of fun.
The Unlucky KidÂ
By Bob Holt
Kids Can Press, 2024
ISBN: 9781525306594
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9)
