A transmission received from outer space in a combination of different Earth languages tells of an alien schoolboy's fantastic excuse for being late to school again. - (Baker & Taylor)
When he is late for szkola again, alien schoolkid Henry P. Baloney is asked to explain why by his strict teacher, with a warning that a bad excuse will put him in Permanent Lifelong Detention. - (Baker & Taylor)
Multiple award-winning author Jon Scieszka grew up in Flint, Michigan, the second oldest and the nicest of six boys. Jon went to school at Culver Military Academy in Indiana where he was a Lieutenant; Albion College in Michigan where he studied to be a doctor; and Columbia University in New York, where he received an M.F.A. in fiction. He taught elementary school in New York for ten years in a variety of positions. He is the author of many books for children including the New York Times Best Illustrated Book The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (illustrated by Lane Smith), the Caldecott Honor book The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (illustrated by Lane Smith), and Math Curse (illustrated by Lane Smith). In addition to his work as an author, Jon also runs a web-based literacy program called ?Guys Read” that is designed to encourage boys, particularly reluctant readers, to get involved with books. In 2008, Jon was named the country’s first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a joint effort of the Library of Congress and the Children’s Book Council. During his two-year role as Ambassador, he acted as a spokesperson for children’s literature, speaking to groups of parents, teachers, and children to encourage the importance of reading. You can visit Jon online at www.jsworldwide.com.
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Penguin Putnam)
Booklist Reviews
/*Starred Review*/ Ages 6-9. Tardy to school once too often, young Henry P. Baloney is facing permanent detention unless he comes up with a good excuse. He comes up with a doozy that starts with his having misplaced something called a "zimulis." Somehow this leads to his jumping into a "razzo" and blasting off to the planet "Astrosus," where he has a close encounter of an extremely alien kind. Though it's obvious from the outset that green, bug-eyed Henry comes from another planet himself, every Earth kid will immediately recognize a soul mate in this extraterrestrial truth-stretcher and tall-tale teller. As for Henry's funny vocabulary, all of those odd locutions--from aamu to zimilus are real words that former teacher Scieszka has gleefully borrowed from such languages as Finnish, Italian, Latvian, and Latin. Definitions are offered on a concluding "Decoder" page. Meanwhile illustrator Smith has been having equal fun stretching the visual truth to create a vision of space that is not only artfully outer but also utterly outre. The result is wacky fun for everyone. And that's no baloney! ((Reviewed May 15, 2001)) Copyright 2001 Booklist Reviews
Horn Book Guide Reviews
Telling an exciting tale, a space alien sounds like Dr. Seuss (""I jammed the razzo controls with my zimulis""), but an afterword explains that his story, transmitted through space, was decoded and found to be ""written in a combination of many different Earth languages."" The words are defined at the back, but the meanings are clear from both context and illustrations in a book that will spark discussion about language. Copyright 2001 Horn Book Guide Reviews
Horn Book Magazine Reviews
Henry P. Baloney, a little green alien, tells his teacher an exciting tale when she demands to know why he is late for school. Henry sounds like Dr. Seuss: "I jammed the razzo controls with my zimulis so I could land behind szkola and still be on time." But these aren't made-up nonsense words-they're not even green-alien lingo. An afterword explains that this story, transmitted through space, was decoded and found to be "written in a combination of many different Earth languages including Latvian, Swahili, Finnish, Esperanto, and Inuktitut." A "decoder" at the back lists each word, the language, and the corresponding word in English-although the meanings are clear from context and the computer-aided illustrations of a friendly Martian zipping through a world of rockets, flying saucers, and ray guns. Wordplay is rampant: the title refers to our hero and to his tale (both are pure baloney), and hidden among the Italian, Dutch, and Polish words are some English words in disguise (a couple of transpositions and a Spoonerism). The book will spark discussion about language-where do words come from anyway? When kids venture to ask why piksa, Melanesian Pidgin for picture, sounds so much like its English counterpart, or why the Japanese term for truck, torakku, closely resembles the English word, they are simply being linguists in the making-no baloney. Copyright 2001 Horn Book Magazine
Kirkus Reviews
It's "Permanent Lifelong Detention" for Henry P. Baloney, unless the tardy alien can come up with "one very good and very believable excuse" for Miss Bugscuffle. Henry earnestly spins the tale of his near-disastrous trip to school: "I misplaced my trustyzimulis, then I . . . um . . . found it on my deski. But . . . someone had put my deski in a torakku." The Math Curse (1995) team of Scieszka and Smith combine talents once again, this time to celebrate wordplay in its near-infinite variety. Henry's story is peppered with words from such diverse sources as Estonian, French, and Inuktitut (there's a "decoder" in the back). Each time a new word occurs for the first time, it is set off in yellow type—the trick is to decode it through illustrations ("zimulis" clearly applies to a standard-issue Quest pencil, number "ZZ") and from context ("I jumped smack in the middle of a . . . razzo launch pad."). Henry himself is an appealingly bug-eyed, freckle-faced green urchin who leaps, fast-talks, and erases his waythrough a retro-looking space-age world, learning the hard way the importance of linguistic accuracy when he forgets the Astrosus word for "thank you," using instead the word for "doofbrain." Clearly intending to do for words what the previous book did for numbers, the illustrations and narrative sizzle along in a madcap rush until the story is brought to an abrupt halt when the humorless Miss Bugscuffle decides to allow Henry to apply his talents to the day's assignment of writing a tall tale. Carefully—if zanily—adhering to the "three-finger rule" (no more than three unfamiliar words per page), Henry P. Baloney's story might go a long way toward convincing kids that learning to read is an adventure in itself. If only all pedagogy were this much fun. (Picture book. 6-12) Copyright Kirkus 2001 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved
Publishers Weekly Reviews
This book's gleaming silver cover and little green namesake signal intergalactic adventure. Fortunately, Scieszka and Smith (Squids Will Be Squids) prefer innovation to UFO clichés, and this tale of an alien truant is also a language game. Lime-colored, freckled Henry P. Baloney is late for class and faces "Permanent Lifelong Detention" from Miss Bugscuffle. He concocts an excuse that spools across the pages in emphatic, italicized capital letters. " `I would have been exactly on time,' said Henry. `But... I misplaced my trusty zimulis. Then I... um... found it on my deski.' " Smith's airbrush-speckled collages zoom from a closeup of a pencil to Henry leaning over a kidney-shaped desk; thus, "zimulis" and "deski" enter the vocabulary. Henry goes on to describe being crowned "kuningas" of another planet and almost getting shot with a "blassa." A "Decoder" at the back of the book reveals that all 20 unfamiliar terms are either non-English (the Dutch "speelplaats" means "playground") or wordplay ("flying saucer" becomes "sighing flosser"). Contextual cues allow readers with no prior knowledge of Italian, Latvian or Polish to comprehend Henry P.'s hyperboles: "I jammed the razzo controls with my zimulis so I could land behind szkola and still be on time," says Henry, and Smith pictures a rocket console, a variety of dials and Henry's pencil. Amateur linguists will have a field day exploring this non-nonsense. All ages. (May) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 1-5-A small green alien would have been exactly on time for class, he explains to his teacher, except for the fact that he misplaced his zimulis (pencil)-and so begins a hoot of a tall tale "received and decoded" from deep space by Scieszka with "visual recreation" by Smith, his cohort in hip hilarity. This could be the story of any Earthling student with a vivid imagination who needs to come up with "one very good and very believable excuse." In short action-packed sentences, Henry describes an adventure involving a torakku (truck), razzo (rocket), funny piksas (pictures), and a narrowly avoided zerplatzen (you guessed it!) all over the speelplaats (playground). The trusty zimulis makes several appearances throughout the fast-moving narrative, culminating in a final (dis)appearance at story's end. The "outer space" vocabulary is culled from languages from Dutch to Welsh, with a few transpositions and spoonerisms tossed in. A handy word decoder is included. Smith's intricate illustrations/assemblages work perfectly with bold white-on-black text blocks. This title continues the slightly subversive bent of other Scieszka and Smith collaborations like Math Curse (1995) and Squids Will Be Squids (1998, both Viking) with its silly yet sly wit and clever styling. Wrapped in an eye-catching, high-tech silver cover, Baloney is sure to fly off the shelves and out the pordo (door) of your library.-Mary Ann Carcich, Mattituck-Laurel Public Library, Mattituck, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.