Albie Newton by Josh Funk seems to be a book about what Issac Newton's son might be (although it never says that, a reader can infer). This book is largely about imagination and about how students think about things in a different ways. Albie is looked to be a very smart boy with lots of inventions and creations that come from lots of different items. It could be helpful for students to see that in this book, you don't have to be the world's smartest person in order to succeed. Everyday people like us can succeed! This book also has very fun illustrations that are very captivating for the reader and could be used well in the classroom! ( )

In this book, a little boy named Albie Newton is about to go to school for the first time. Before entering school we know he loves imagining and creating. When he gets to school, he is often day dreaming and doing things more advanced than the other students. Eventually, as students are doing typical things that students do in kindergarten, Albie begins to write sonnets, and begins to collect things around the room. He causes a lot of distraction and disruption to the class around him, but at the end of the story he has created a spaceship and a time machine. This is a good book to use because it shows how we can use our imaginations and how even people who act differently than us have something to contribute, however this might perpetuate the idea that you have to be 'smart' or 'overacheiving' to be an inventor. ( )

Josh Funk is slowly becoming a new favorite author. I have loved all of his books and this is no exception. The rhymes work, the cadence works, and the story is great. This story is about Albie Newton who is always questioning and tinkering. When he starts at a new school he wants to make friends with his classmates so he makes them something special. He just needs to remember to pay attention to his classmates from time to time. ( )

Albie Newton was a whiz kid, tinkering with his toys to create new inventions, and learning a new language every week. When he moved to a new town and had to start a new school, he immediately saw the need to make friends, setting out to do just that, in his own unique way. Unfortunately, his effort to build a gift for his class almost backfired, because of his oblivious disregard for the smaller courtesies. Would his new classmates understand that he didn't have bad intentions...?

Although I have enjoyed some of author Josh Funk's previous forays into the world of picture-books, from Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast to Dear Dragon: A Pen Pal Tale, somehow this newest offering didn't entertain me quite as much as I expected it to. Like those other titles, Albie Newton is told in rhyme, and I can imagine it making for a good read-aloud selection. The artwork by Spanish illustrator Ester Garay is colorful and cute. That said, I found myself dissatisfied with the resolution of the tale, which relies on all the other children accepting Albie's rude behavior, because he meant well, and because he made them a terrific present, rather than on Albie himself discovering that sometimes a "little" thing like being respectful to others is as important as the "big picture," when it comes to making friends. Somehow this one smacks of that whole "geniuses can't be expected to obey the rules like all those little people" attitude that sets my teeth on edge. In this respect, it reminded me of Iggy Peck, Architect, the story of another child genius who can't be expected to pay attention in class. Tastes (and interpretations) vary, of course, and I see that other online reviewers have praised this one for building tolerance and compassion for socially challenged individuals, which is certainly a worthy goal. I'd advise would-be readers to give this one a try, and see what they think for themselves. ( )