One of a Kind

The boy who narrates this story has a tight leather jacket, a drum kit, and a spiky fauxhawk haircut. “I’m a kid who’s always been a little different,” he says. “Maybe it’s the way I dress. Or the music I like.” As in his picture book Indi Surfs, Gorman alters black-and-white photographic images to make striking halftones with rich black shadows. The text is laid out on torn paper scraps of pink and yellow, in the style of Sex Pistols album art. It’s not easy being different, the boy admits; “It can be lonely and frustrating!” He sits on the front steps of a building, his head on his arms. Then, three other kids show up with their own instruments to keep him company. “It’s great to be one of a kind together,” the boy decides, as the kids perform at high volume. Children who feel different for reasons outside their control—the places they’re from, the way their bodies look—may feel that this boy’s challenges don’t speak to theirs. But readers whose unconventional tastes are at odds with the authorities will enjoy his energy and self-assurance. Ages 5–8. [em](May) [/em]