Book Summary:
A boy receives a toy action figure for Christmas called Traction Man, and the figure soon comes to life through the boy's imagination. Traction Man guards the boy's toast and then has an underwater adventure in the kitchen sink. The boy and Traction Man then go on a trip to visit the boy's grandmother where Traction Man receives a gift from Grandma. It's a knitted green romper suit. For his final adventure he saves some spoons on the kitchen floor and in the process ruins his new green romper suit. He ends his day by relaxing with his pet scrub brush in the make believe ocean of the living room.
APA Reference of Book:
Grey, M. (2005). Traction Man is here. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Impressions:
I liked the idea of Traction Man because it reminded me a little of the movie Toy Story. The illustrations are very colorful and they do a good job in conveying the emotions of the things that come to life in the story such as the spoons. It's a pleasant uplifting story using an action figure as the hero and a boy's imagination to conjure up his adventures.
Professional Review:
PreS-Gr 2-- This imaginative and very funny romp through the fantasy play of a young boy features his newly acquired action figure. Square-jawed and equipped with combat boots, scuba gear, space suit, and camouflage, Traction Man overcomes evil pillows, dastardly brooms, a poisonous dishcloth, and a wicked spade. But he and his little scrub-brush pet seem to be no match for Granny, who presents the action figure with a nerdy knitted green romper suit and bonnet. The evil-doers laugh at his silly get-up until Scrubbing Brush unravels the yarn to help Traction Man save a clutch of hapless spoons and he is once more the heroic figure. The angular, full-color art sweeps across the pages and perfectly animates the antics of Traction Man and his enemies. Grey has a way of exactly catching the nuances of a child's ability to turn even the most common object into a friend or looming foe in the never-ending battle between good and evil. This fresh, funny hero and Grey's celebration of a child's imagination definitely have traction.
Loch-Wouters, M., Jones, T. E., Toth, L., Charnizon, M., Grabareck, D., & Raben, D. (2005, June 1). [Review of the book Traction Man is here, by Mini Grey]. School Library Journal 51(6), 115-116. Retrieved from www.slj.com.
Library Use:
I can see this book being used in a secondary English Language Arts classroom to explain and show examples of personification. The book has many examples and would complement such a lesson.
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