Something from Nothing: The Whole Hole by Vivian McInerny

ZIA HAD A HOLE IN HER POCKET. THAT DIDN'T STOP HER FROM STUFFING SMALL THINGS IN IT--SPARKLY ROCKS, GOLFBALLS, AND JUMPY FROGS.

SOMETIMES THEY STAYED. SOMETIMES THEY DIDN'T.

But, as holes in pockets do, the hole gets bigger and bigger, until Zia fall right into it. That might be scary, but after all, the hole is hers, and since Zia didn't like anything scary, she decides to have some fun. She imagines it is her favorite fishing hole, where she catches a big fish, and then a swimming hole. Floating on her back, Zia notices that one of the fluffy clouds above looks like a thirsty lion, so she imagines a watering hole for the lion. But Lion, wanting the whole water hole to himself, tells the other cloud animals that there is a hungry crock lying in wait in the water. The others cloud animals are not wholly convinced.

THE GIRAFFES FOUND THE LION'S STORY HARD TO SWALLOW.

"WHAT BUGS ME," SAID THE ANTEATER, "IS THAT I BELIEVE THE LION IS LYING."

"SOUNDS LIKE A TALE TO ME," SAID THE SNAKE, ALMOST WHOLLY TAIL HIMSELF.

Sick of the bickering, Zia dives deep down into the watering hole, and pulls the plug on the whole scene. But now what she's got now is a muddy mudhole. But when Zia gets mud, she makes mud pies, lots and lots of them. It's fun, but that leaves her with a bigger hole. So she thinks BIG. She spreads a blanket over the big hole, tops the blanket with some tasty peanuts, and she has a deadfall trap just right to catch a big elephant. But when she does, she realizes that she can't get a BIG elephant out of a deep hole! It's wholly impossible.

So she drops into the hole and excavates a deeper hole all the way to the other side of the earth, where the elephant is back in India where he belongs.

"SEND ME A POSTCARD," ZIA TELLS THE ELEPHANT.

But Zia is not wholly done with her hole yet, not until she gets that hole right back where it belongs, in Vivian McInerny's funny and punny The Whole Hole Story (Verify/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021). With artist Ken Lamug's hilarious illustrations, youngsters will chuckle at all the things you can do with nothing, which is what a hole is, right? Booklist seems wholly pleased with this one, writing "This charmer of a picture book takes an Alice in Wonderland approach to a young girl’s discovery of a hole...A vivacious tribute to creative thinking and play."

Something from Nothing! The Whole Hole Story by Vivian McInerny

 

ZIA HAD A HOLE IN HER POCKET. THAT DIDN'T STOP HER FROM STUFFING SMALL THINGS IN IT--SPARKLY ROCKS, JUMPING FROGS, GOLFBALLS. SOMETIMES THEY FELL OUT AND GOT LOST.

But as holes do, Zia's gets bigger and bigger. One day the hole gets so big that it fell out of Zia's pocket. Zia doesn't think that was scary. After all, it could only be as scary as she could imagine.

"I HATE SCARY STORIES!" ZIA SAID.

So she imagines it as a fishing hole, where she catches a fish, and then a swimming hole. As she floats on her back, she imagines one fluffy cloud as a thirsty lion, who tries to frighten off all the other cloud animals. But they are all well-equipped with puns...

"THE GIRAFFES FOUND IT ALL HARD TO SWALLOW."

"WHAT BUGS ME," SAID ONE ANTEATER, "IS THAT I THINK THE LION IS LYING."

"SOUNDS LIKE A TALE TO ME," HISSED THE SNAKE, (who was mostly tail himself).

But their puns become no fun, so Zia dives deep down and pulls the plug on the watering hole, leaving her with nothing but a mudhole. When Zia gets mud, however, she makes mudpies, lots of them. But what to do with a big hole? BIG makes Zia think of elephants, so she spreads a blanket over the hole to make a deadfall trap, and sure enough, she catches an elephant. But now, what DO you do with an big elephant in a bigger hole?

But Zia is not wholly out of ideas yet, in Vivian McInerny's funny, punny story, The Whole Hole Story (Versify/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021), in an expansive story of a girl whose imagination makes something out of nothing, which after all, is what a hole is. With the help of artist Ken Lamug's fanciful and outlandish illustrations, young readers will chuckle at the many forms a hole can be imagined and enjoyed and how Zia returns it to its proper place in her pocket by the book's end. Booklist is wholly pleased with this one, saying, "This charmer of a picture book takes an Alice in Wonderland approach to a young girl’s discovery of a hole... A vivacious tribute to creative thinking and play."