Terrific

PreS-Gr 3—Jon Agee's Terrific (Scholastic, 2005) follows curmudgeon Eugene, who wins a trip to Bermuda. Rather than being delighted, he sarcastically responds, "Terrific," as he expects to get sunburned. His pessimism seems well placed when the ship sinks and he ends up on an island with a talkative parrot—"terrific"—and pomegranates, which he hates—"terrific." The parrot, however, draws a blueprint for a sailboat, which Eugene constructs. Their escape from the island seems a positive outcome until the wind dies. "Terrific." Upon being rescued, Eugene finally ends up in Bermuda, with the parrot. This time his "terrific" is sincere. The story has an exquisite simplicity, and Eugene's change of attitude at the end is both delightful and realistic. After all, he's found a friend. Agee's muted illustrations are scanned, with minor animation added, as Kirby Heyborne narrates. Besides the read-a-long option, the disc includes a bouncy music video, which provides a quick story overview as well.