Today’s book review is part of the official blog tour for Poor Little Guy. Be sure to keep reading for your chance to win a copy!
Whimsical storytelling, charming illustrations, and a twisted sense of humor abound in Poor Little Guy by Elanna Allen.
In a similar vein to Jon Klassen’s This Is Not My Hat, Allen uses simple text and clean, stylized illustrations to tell the story of a little fish with a big secret. Even the littlest readers will delight at the images and words as the story unfolds — and older readers will especially appreciate the dose of dark humor that makes this book so funny, witty, and wonderful.
And can we talk about the artwork for a second? I adore Allen’s illustrations here, and there were plenty of pages when I just wanted to tear them out, frame them, and hang them on the wall! (Which I would never do. I mean, tear up a book? NOT my style.) But you get my point. The images are just gorgeous, and if reproduced outside of the book, they would make adorable artwork — especially for a kid’s room!
It’s these beautiful illustrations that really bring the story to life, too. The little nuances Allen works into each image — even with her minimalist style — evoke strong emotions and reactions in her characters. Together with a simple but powerful story about surprising strengths, Poor Little Guy is sure to become a favorite with kids and adults alike. Look for it in stores now. Here is the official synopsis:
What do you do when you’re so tiny that the bigger ocean creatures think you might even taste adorable?
An itsy-bitsy, glasses-wearing fish is minding his own business when a playful (and hungry) octopus snatches him right up. Luckily, this poor little guy is not quite as innocent as he seems…and he has a BIG surprise up his sleeve!
Told with wit, a wink, and a delightfully dark sense of humor, Poor Little Guy celebrates the very smallest…and all of their giant victories.
Elanna Allen graduated from Brown University and studied animation and illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. She has designed characters and directed animation for Disney Junior, Nick Jr, and PBS. She lives in New York City with her husband and two boys, and is currently learning to play the ukulele.
Thanks to our friends at Penguin Young Readers, we are giving away one copy of Poor Little Guy to one of you lucky readers. To enter, tell us in the comments below why you want to read the book & fill out the Rafflecopter form here to complete your entry and earn more chances to win.
Contest is open to the U.S. only, and runs through midnight (PT) on Friday, July 15th.
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Novel Novice 
I’m a nanny and the girls and i LOVE books! I got a little promo package at ALA for Poor Little Guy and the girls and i thought he was SO cute! We’d love to read his story!
My little man would love to read this book!
This looks adorable.
It looks awesome and my niece would dig it if i won it for her.