A boy of middling talents -- lives in a house with a half-mown lawn and rides a bike with half a seat. While other kids skate figure eights, Hank can only make a figure four -- wearing a single skate! Even his sister thinks he's half-baked. But one day, at the Wholenut County Hoe-Down Days and Olde-Tyme Barbecue, Hank's partial way of doing things makes him a total winner. Authors Joe Fallon and Ken Scarborough and best-selling illustrator Jack E. Davis combine their unique talents to create a story about a young boy learning to trust his singular self. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Hank A. Mezzomezzo does everything his own way?halfway?which has its advantages and disadvantages. His big sister Demi considers him ?weird as weird can be,? but Hank protests: ?I?m not being weird,/ I?m only being me.? Text appears in white boxes bordered by geometric patterns, within Davis?s (Marsupial Sue) grassy, foliage-filled full-bleed spreads, where freckle-face children with oversized heads, bulbous eyes, protruding ears and toothy smiles loom large. Wearing only half a blindfold, he?s ?a champ at party games,? but when ?the Wholenut County Hoe-Down/ Days and Olde-Time Barbecue? rolls around, it?s quite another story. There his halfway style wreaks havoc on the days? events. Hank guides his tracking team with half a map (they get lost) and when he enters a boat race with half a canoe, his team doesn?t stand a chance. His humiliated sister finally tells him to stop participating: ?You shouldn?t even try at all,/ If half is all you?ve got!? Ultimately, Hank discovers a way to participate fully, but in his own style. Though some readers may be a bit nonplussed at the contrived ending, Davis?s tongue-in-cheek renderings of the shenanigans will keep kids entertained. Ages 4-8. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

K-Gr 4-Hank, a red-haired, freckle-faced boy, does everything halfway. He wears one skate and makes a "figure four" instead of a figure eight, his hair is combed on just one side, and he washes his face but always misses his feet. He gets along just fine until the games begin at the county barbecue, where he joins his sister's team and jeopardizes its success in several competitions. Eggs fall off the half spoon he brings to the spoon-and-egg race, his half canoe sinks, and he performs only half the steps in the square dance, causing quite a mess. By the time they reach the 100-meter dash, Demi has had it with her brother. Instead of giving up, Hank tricks himself into going the full distance by pretending he's in a 200-meter run ("-when he reached the halfway mark,/Hank passed it like a missile!/The judge was so surprised,/He blew his nose and picked his whistle") and wins first place. In the end, Hank remains true to himself and, of course, shares half the trophy with his sister. Comical cartoons complement this rhyming tale. The illustrations are filled with exaggerated faces and explode with humorous detail. The text and artwork add up to a story that is not half bad.-Melinda Piehler, Sawgrass Elementary School, Sunrise, FL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information