No Sneeze, PLEASE! Chu's Day by Neil Gaiman

WHEN CHU SNEEZED,

BAD THINGS HAPPENED.

So, with this suspenseful bit of foreshadowing, begins Neil Gaiman's and Adam Rex's just-out picture book, Chu's Day (HarperCollins, 2013).

Chu is an mild-mannered, adorable panda toddler, his striped tee riding up over his little round belly, pilot's helmet and goggles on his head, who sets off on his day's adventures. First on the list is a trip to the local library, a busy place crowded with a crew of library patrons--mice who use long ladders to access the empty drawers of an old-time wooden card catalog to search the collection with their miniscule laptops, a platypus scaling a rolling ladder at the shelves, politely held steady by a gorilla. But there is a danger lurking in that innocuous setting:

THERE WAS OLD BOOK DUST IN THE AIR.

"ARE YOU GOING TO SNEEZE?" SAID MOTHER.

After a crescendo of prefatory AAAHs!, Chu says not.

Then, it's off to the diner with Dad, where a collection of assorted animal characters as varied as the Chalmun's Cantina bar scene in Star Wars, are slurping, sipping, and snacking. Unfortunately there is also a scent of pepper in the air there.

"AAH...AAAH...AAAAH....!" GOES CHU.

"ARE YOU GOING TO SNEEZE?" ASKS HIS FATHER.

Nope. False alarm.

Then the day ends with a family outing at the circus, a lavish "tree-ring" affair in a gaily-colored tent. Everyone is intent upon trying to watch all the daring acts at once.

"GUESS WHAT?" SAID CHU.

BUT NOBODY LISTENED.

With all the tension of an impending sneeze, this one ends in the catastrophic aaaAAchoooOOOOOOOO! we've been anticipating all along, as little Chu blows it all away--library, diner, circus, in a gratifying release of explosive giggles from young readers. The pairing of Newbery author Gaiman, master of the neo-gothic fantastical novel, (see his The Graveyard Book) and Coraline) and illustrator Adam Rex, equally known for his somewhat surreal but totally comic style, (see his Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich) is a perfect pairing here, sophisticated, sly, and altogether satisfying. Gaiman's narration is wryly deadpan, letting Rex's masterfully rich oil-painting illustrations extend the storytelling to its logical conclusion. Awww, Chu!! (Editor's Note: Pass the tissues around the story circle before you read this one aloud!)

Watch the book's trailer narrated by the author and see a somewhat sinister-looking Neil Gaiman with the real baby panda who inspired this sweet story on his lap, here.

Back to School: Chu's First Day of School by Neil Gaiman

CHU WAS WORRIED.

HE HAD NEVER BEEN TO SCHOOL BEFORE.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN?

All first-timers are at least a little leery of leaving the home setting and moving into the world of SCHOOL! Chu voices his fears to his parents, who blithely assure him that his teachers and classmates are sure to like him.

But Chu is worried. You see...

THERE IS THIS THING THAT CHU COULD DO.

Youngsters fortunate enough to have read Neil Gaiman's first Chu story will know why Chu is worried. Those who haven't will get a clue from the book's title page and frontispiece. Chu is first shown sitting amid a field of daisies, looking warily across the street at the waiting Big School. A page turn shows the tall grass flattened where he was sitting and bits of daisies and grass floating down through the air as Chu hustles off, page right.

At school the teacher and students do seem nice. Teacher kicks the day off with a getting-to-know you exercise in which students are to introduce themselves and tell the others something special they can do.

Jengo the Giraffe says that she likes to get things down from high shelves. Pancho the Capuchin says he likes to climb trees if they aren't too tall, and Robin says she likes to sing.

When it is his turn, Chu takes a pass.

The others all take their turns, happy to tell about the cool things they do, as Teacher chalks their names carefully on the blackboard. At last everyone looks at Chu.

And as the  chalk dust tickles his nose,  they find out the special thing Chu could do:

"AHH... AAAAH... AAAAAH....

"AAAAAAHH-CHOOOOOOOOO!"

Papers fly from Teacher's desk, books fly, too, as bookcases, desks, and stools overturn. Everyone is dazed, surprised, and overwhelmed. Teacher picks herself up, but everyone else lies there, speechless.

"THAT'S WHAT I DO," SAID CHU.

Neil Gaiman's latest Chu story, Chu's First Day of School (HarperCollins, 2014), shows his sneezy protagonist as he blows the first-day blues away. Chu's impromptu ah-choo is certainly an icebreaker for his class, and by the time he gets home, he announces that he's not worried anymore.

Notable artist Adam Rex does the illustrative honors, with the most engaging little panda ever front and center, mixing full-bleed colored pages with bright white backgrounds where his adorable little Chu is highlighted in all his innocent charm. Of all the first-day-of-school stories out there, this one is truly unique.

Newbery author Gaiman's first Chu book is Chu's Day, and you can read my 2013 review here.

Parting the Waters: Chu's Day at the Beach by Neil Gaiman and Adam Rex

IT WAS A HOT DAY AND CHU AND HIS FAMILY WENT TO THE BEACH.

BUT WHEN CHU SNEEZES... BIG THINGS HAPPEN.

But, hey! No problem at the beach, right? No daisy pollen, no peppery chimichangas, no chalk dust or circus sawdust to give Chu a snoot full and set off the sneezes! Mom stretches out in the sun for a quiet beach read, and Dad wades in the almost waveless shallows. An octopus vendor hands Chu an ice cream cone. What could possibly disturb this idyllic scene?

CHU TOOK OFF HIS SUNGLASSES.

THE DAY WAS SUNNY AND BRIGHT.

CHU'S NOSE TICKLED. THE TICKLE GOT BIGGER AND BIGGER.

Ahh! AHHH! AHHHH! CHOOOOOOOOO!

Chu's sneeze creates a tsunami! The waters flow backward and then move back toward the beach, freezing into a giant wave hovering over the sand. The bedazzled beachcombers are agog. It's like looking through the aquarium glass at Sea World. The amazed fish wave at Chu and he waves back. A merpanda girl gives him a big smile, and a giant whale wails that he's stranded.

"I CAN'T GO HOME!"

The ocean is broken! There's only one thing to do. Chu HAS to sneeze again. Fast!

A seagull plucks a tail feather to tickle his nose.

AH... AHH... AHHH... Nope.

The vendor hands him a fizzy drink to fizzle his nose. Ah... Ahh...Ahhh. No way, Nose-ay.

Is the ocean really split forever?

Then a very little snail comes up with a quick idea.

"Sometimes I sneeze when I see the sun."

Chu removes his sunglasses again. Bingo!

"AAAAAH... CHOOOOOOOO!"

The sea flows back together, the sea animals rejoice at their reunion, and although there is some collateral damage to the shore (ice cream cones all around), the waters go back to where they are supposed to be as the little merpanda swims over to Chu to confess that sometimes she sneezes big time, too.

It's just a day at the beach in Neil Gaiman's latest Aw, Chu! fest, Chu's Day at the Beach (Harper-Collins, 2015). Artist Adam Rex adds his usual charmingly detailed illustrations, with a terminally cute Chu in his 1890s swimsuit and giraffe floatie, as totally befuddled as always by his superpower sneezes. Says School Library Journal, "Rex's menagerie of anthropomorphized animals, including merpandas, drawn in hyper-realistic human settings creates a humorous alternate reality that perfectly complements the plot. VERDICT A fun addition to most picture book collections."

A splashy read-aloud for the summer set, especially when paired with Chu's other sneezy-breezy adventures. (see reviews here.)