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Terrific (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards)) | 
 enlarge | Author: Jon Agee
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $4.00
You Save: $11.95 (75%)
New (36) Used (21) Collectible (1) from $3.97
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 111327
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Pages: 32
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 12.2 x 9.2 x 0.5
ISBN: 0786851848
EAN: 9780786851843
ASIN: 0786851848
Publication Date: September 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Half-empty becomes half-full. March 8, 2007
David C. Roller (United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Teriffic is an excellent work, in that it chronicles the change of a character's perception of the world through one parrot and one word.
Jon Agee has crafted a wonderful book that certainly lives up to it's name!
 A good bad-luck story February 24, 2006
HenderHouse (Libertyville, IL)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Eugene expects the worst and usually gets it, even when he wins an all-expenses trip to Bermuda. This picture book follows Eugene as he is shipwrecked on an (almost) deserted island. Eugene's luck changes when he runs into a parrot with some unusual talents. An amusing tale for adults as well as children. This seemingly simple picture book has been highly lauded by book reviewers, librarians, and other children's book experts; I have to admit that while I enjoyed the book, I don't quite understand why it's been so highly lauded. Take a look for yourself and decide... 2006 ALA Notable Book
Every grump has his day December 14, 2005
E. R. Bird (Manhattan, NY)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
From Oscar the Grouch to "Winnie-the-Pooh's" Eeyore, kids are well-acquainted with the nature of grumpy, grouchy, depressed people/animalia. Picture books, however, haven't properly plumbed this rich resource for all it's worth. Haven't, that is, until now. Enter, "Terrific" by Jon Agee. In it, the world's most inaccurate pessimist joins forces with a tropical critter and together the two work up an unlikely friendship. Prior to the publication of this title, Jon Agee's books had been either designer dreamboats of surrealistic fodder (as in "Z Goes Home") or they've been about the unlikely pairings of men and wild creatures (as in "Milo's Hat Trick"). "Terrific" falls squarely into the latter category.
Most people would be thrilled to win an all-expenses-paid cruise to Bermuda. Eugene is not most people. His reaction? "Terrific. I'll probably get a really nasty sunburn". No sunburn is in Eugene's future, but a shipwreck does leave him stranded on a tiny desert island. Once there, he is befriended by Lenny the talking parrot. Lenny can't flee the island due to a bum wing, but he can draw a nifty diagram of the boat he and Eugene can build. Build it they do (with Eugene muttering, "Terrific. I'm going to permanently damage my lower back", all the while) and the two cast off. They are then struck sharply by a rescue ship and arrive in Bermuda. Eugene naturally assumes that Lenny is going to remain with the ship (which he once worked on) but the birdy surprises his new friend by making it perfectly clear that he's sticking by his side. And what does Eugene say without a hint of malice or sarcasm to tinge his words? "Terrific!".
Consistently throughout this book Eugene sarcastically predicts one calamity and then gets walloped by a completely different one. It's funny, but sometimes Agee's pictures are at odds with his story. If you just read this book without looking at it, you might get the idea that Eugene walks around with a permanent frown affixed to his face. On the contrary, our hero is at times morose, lonely, grudgingly pleased, and mildly hurt. Agee draws with a deft hand. Images are crisp, clear, and reduced to their most essential forms. It's enough to make you not wonder too hard where exactly Eugene got the tools to build his desert island boat. Hm.
It's hard not to root with Eugene every step of the way. His down-in-the-mouth approach to life is countermanded perfectly by Lenny. Lenny is, fortunately, not a permanently perky parrot or a bird with incessant platitudes. He's just a forthright guy who knows exactly how to utilize Eugene's strengths to get the two of them off the island. This is a lesson in cooperation without ever striking the reader as fake or saccharine.
"Terrific" seems to mark a new step in Agee's picture book career. This is a book that is far more character-based than his past efforts. The result is that it has won accolade upon accolade. The art is fabulous, the story droll, and the words pitch perfect. If you've a kid with a soft-spot for grump reformation (or, to simplify, if you have a kid) then "Terrific" is a no-brainer choice. Excellent preschool fare.
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