The Can Man

Review
By BookDragon

In today’s tough times filled with unemployment woes and economic downturns, The Can Man is all too real a story. . . . While Laura E. Williams‘ story sweetly offers a memorable lesson (always so necessary even now in our gimme, gimme culture of instant gratification), what makes this title a standout are the carefully thought-out details of Craig Orback’s illustrations. Like Williams herself, Tim is hapa Asian American–his mother is Asian American while his father is African American. The family’s kitchen reflects both cultures, with an Asian fan on the wall, and a hanging towel made of African-inspired patterned cloth. Tim’s local bakery captures the diversity of his neighborhood. Tim’s friend Mike who already has a cool board also is cool enough to wear all his protective gear. And when Tim finally gets his birthday wish, he’s just as protectedly cool, too!

To Williams’ few hundred words, Orback seamlessly adds a few thousand more with his pictures. The result is a definitively noteworthy collaboration indeed. —BookDragon