Product Description

Something new can change the way you look; it can change the way you feel; and, in the case of new socks, it can change the way you walk--especially if you're a chicken. With a quirky sense of humor, retro style, and hip attitude, Bob Shea captures the excitement one irresistible chick experiences when he puts on a brand new pair of socks.

This is for readers who have decided that they can wear nothing but their superman capes or tutus or have discovered that the only food worth eating is macoroni and cheese. In other words, this book is told with "kid logic" and it embraces the affection we have for things when they're brand new.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #575722 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Slick digital design and silly antics rule the roost in this paper-over-board celebration of footwear, narrated by an excitable young chicken. "Notice anything different about me?" the peep asks. "Nope, it's not my glasses," he adds, pointing the squiggly line of his wing at the heavy black frames around his black-dot eyes. A close-up of his feet reveals two reasons for his apparent delight: "I got New Socks!" Where the chick's yellow body is a double-yolk kidney bean shape, with black sticks for legs and just a hint of chatty beak, his bulbous orange socks look like inflated moon boots, with a star-shaped sparkle on one toe to indicate their pristine condition. The chick skates across a wood floor and, at the playground, calls out, "Watch me not be scared on the big-kids slide! In New Socks!" Graphic designer Shea uses animation techniques akin to Mo Willems, from emphatic first-person statements to iconic illustrations to near-empty backdrops of minimalist white and robin's-egg-blue. This comic sequence holds up as an exercise in dynamic layout, but like its title product, it seems unlikely to seem fresh after repeated use. Ages 3-6. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2—In this lively, self-confidence-boosting tale, a pleased-as-punch chick shows off his new bright-hued footwear and feels ready to take on the world. With brief, often exclamatory sentences, the narrator enthuses over his snazzy socks (they "fit just right! Orange must be my size!"), revealing that he can now tackle the "big-kids slide." He even receives a phone call from the president, who wants to check out the special stockings. "What can't these New Socks do?" he wonders, before anticipating his next milestone: "Now I'm all excited to get pants!" The text, which presents a childlike blend of fervor and silliness, is wonderfully extended through the artwork. Plain backdrops in pale blue and white focus the attention on the protagonist. The chick's body is a yellow lima-bean-shaped blob; black-dot eyes, a beak fashioned from two half-moons, and thick-rimmed glasses define his face and add expression. His wings, rendered in simple black curves, are in constant flux, injecting humor and energy into the pictures. Varying perspectives add visual interest and show the sensational socks off to best effect. With its naive approach, direct narrative, and wry illustrations, this book will appeal to fans of Mo Willems's pigeon. A fun choice for reading aloud or sharing one-to-one.—Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
A bespectacled chicken feels daring and excited when he puts on his new, big, orange socks. With very few words and bright-colored shapes defined with thick black lines against lots of white space, the clear pages will have toddlers pulling on their own special socks, pointing at the pictures, and acting out the movements, as the orange shapes meet the wooden floor and help the small chicken brave the big kids' slide. The socks feel so good, they even spark imaginative play. The fun lies not only in the bright colors and shapes but in the chicken's games, which show how small things can be big and strong. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Read it. You'll Like It.
As a youth services librarian, a lot of crap comes across my desk. "New Socks" however is the total opposite of crap. It is so wonderful! Not only is humourous and bright for kids, but parents/readers will get a big laugh. One of the most difficult things to do is to create material for children that is just as entertaining for the adults having to watch/read it. "New Socks" totally achieves this. My favorite part is "Wood floor! WHOAH!" Because, I TOTALLY still slide across my wood floor in new socks!

Mo Willems read alike
I liked the title, picked it up and was initially dismayed to see the chick had the voice of "The Pigeon" (Mo Willems). Once I got past that quirk, I found some qualities that make it a good book for laps or groups. The striking (retro?) bold color scheme and simple text will appeal to babies -its first audience- which can then extend itself to toddlers because of those very same reasons, including now the cute storyline. For early literacy skills, the use of the exclamation mark comes to mind.It is plentiful here, appropriate and a great way for children to learn the art of expression within text. Both adult and child can appreciate the good humor shown here. Kids will get excited about the darndest things-even orange socks!

Orange must be my size too
I think everyone should read New Socks over and over and over. And over.