Is There Really a Human Race?

July 31, 2006
This circuitous tale from the creators of It's Hard to Be Five
opens with a series of questions: "Is there really/ a human race?/ Is it going on now all over the place?/ When did it start?/ Who said, 'Ready, Set, Go'?/ Did it start on my birthday?/ I really must know." Cornell quickly livens up the proceedings, however, with a spread of newborns lined up in a nursery, suggesting clues to their futures. One sunglasses-sporting infant holds an Oscar statuette, another chews on the tassel of a graduation cap. The relay race metaphor plays out as Cornell pictures a diverse spectrum of people dashing about madly, and the narrator poses more questions: "Is the race like a loop/ or an obstacle course?/ Am I a jockey,/ or am I a horse?" After asking why he is doing "this zillion-yard dash," the lad observes that if we don't help each other, we're all going to "crash." Switching to the mother's perspective, the narrative emphasizes the importance of taking one's time, trying one's best ("that's more important than beating the rest") and making the world a better place "for the whole human race." Curtis's message has merit, yet its singsong delivery seems muddled. Yet fans of this duo may well be carried along by Cornell's bustling, whimsical art, overflowing with quirky particulars that celebrate the diversity of people everywhere. All ages.

Starred review from August 1, 2006
K-Gr 3 -Curtis writes so very well, in infectious toe-tapping poetic form, of the inner thoughts and worries that children struggle with all too frequently. Here, a boy asks his mother the title question. He continues, -If the race is unfair, will I succeed? - His mother tells her son that it -s often better to help others and make the world a better place than to win first place in a foot race. Cornell -s ink-and-color wash cartoons are a perfect match to Curtis -s lilting text. The detailed spreads will fascinate young readers. For instance, on the page on which the child asks, - -&is Dad on my team? - the illustrations show his father, grandad, and a multitude of ancestors back to cavemen. When he worries about making the wrong turn, a maze full of children of different ethnicities is depicted. This book should be enjoyed by the whole human race." -Alice DiNizo, Plainfield Public Schools, NJ"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2006
Starting with an Amelia Bedelia-like question and ending with some latter-day Dr. Seuss advice, this new collaboration between Curtis and Cornell offers insights into the human condition. A carrot-top boy wants to know about the human race. When did it start? Where is it going? Is there an obstacle course? Is he the jockey or the horse? After many such fervently asked questions, the boy's mother provides some answers and advice: "Sometimes it's better not to go fast. / There are beautiful sights to be seen when you're last." And maybe trying one's best is better than being first. There are strong messages about making the world a better place rather than just making it your oyster. Curtis' clever rhymes are brought to life in Cornell's high-energy art, which reaches a crescendo as the boy tries ever more frantically to figure out how to win the race. When Mom speaks her calming words, the pictures quiet down, giving this the peaceful ending dearly needed for overextended children--and their adults caretakers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2007
"Is the race like a loop / or an obstacle course? / Am I a jockey, / or am I a horse?" Not questions preschoolers preoccupy themselves with. After a string of jaunty quatrains, Curtis supplies feel-good mantras that are both all over the place and lacking in internal consistency. Cornell's springtime-palette cartoons display some joie de vivre.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)