OnzichtBart

by Maureen Fergus, Dušan Petričić

Bart wil heel graag dat iemand hem de aardappels doorgeeft. Maar helaas: zijn vader, moeder, broer en zusje zijn allemaal druk bezig met hun eigen leven en horen hem niet. Dan gebeurt er iets vreselijks, maar tegelijkertijd ook fantastisch... Bart wordt onzichtbaar! In het begin vindt hij dat helemaal niet leuk, tot hij merkt dat hij zo zijn familie goed kan confronteren met hun gedrag. Een grappig en absurd prentenboek over een heel gewoon middelste kind dat onzichtbaar lijkt voor zijn familie.


Nederlandse tekst Merel de Vink
Leeftijd 5+

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Canada, Humor, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Author also writes as M.L. Fergus

Maureen Fergus's books for young people have been translated into more than a dozen languages, optioned for film and adapted for stage. They've been shortlisted and won many regional, national and international awards. Maureen also writes epic romantasy novels for older readers under the name M.L.Fergus. In addition to being a writer, Maureen has degrees in science and business, and she has held senior management positions in the aerospace, biopharmaceutical and financial services industries. She lives in Winnipeg, Canada with her family.

Reviews

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

InvisiBill is a children's picture book written by Maureen Fergus and illustrated by Dušan Petričić, which centers on Bill, the middle and in his mind least remarkable of his siblings, who feels invisible and eventually did.

Fergus' text is rather simplistic and straightforward. The narrative of this amusing picture book is simple: Bill would like someone at the dinner table to pass him the potatoes, but is repeatedly ignored and felt invisible and actually became invisible. Petričić's illustrations are wonderfully done and depicted the narrative rather well in a fun and outrageous manner.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Bill always felt invisible, his parents are extremely busy, his older brother is rather intelligent, and his little sister is very athletic. One day, during dinner, Bill’s feelings turned into reality and he turned invisible. The following romp through his family solutions to find him is rather hilarious, but conveys a deeper meaning.

All in all, InvisiBill is a wonderful and humorous children's book that tackles the middle-child syndrome and feeling invisible within a family.

[Dettie Leestafel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iedereen kent wel die beelden van mensen wachtend bij de bushalte, die allemaal op hun schermpje zitten te staren en niets of niemand om zich heen meer lijken te zien of horen. Als ze nu stiekem opgepakt zouden worden en in China, Japan of Amerika geplaatst zouden worden, ze zouden het niet eens merken.

Datzelfde ervaart Bart als hij aan tafel zit, niemand hoort of ziet hem, ze zijn allemaal te druk met hun eigen dingen. Moeder staart naar het schermpje van haar 'hoe het het ook alweer', bij vader is het 'praatapparaat' bijna vastgegroeid aan zijn oor, zijn broer zit in zijn boekenwereld en zijn zusje gaat helemaal op in een tv-programma.
Als Bart vraagt of iemand de aardappels door wil geven, gebeurt er dan ook helemaal niets. Bart vraagt het nog een keer, maar ook dit keer krijgt hij geen enkele reactie. En dan gebeurt het... Bart wordt onzichtbaar...


Het erge is dat niemand het in de gaten heeft, pas als de tafel afgeruimd moet worden, missen ze hem. Maar Bart is en blijft onzichtbaar, ze kunnen hem alleen horen. Papa denkt dat het gewoon aanstelleritus is van Bart maar zijn moeder laat voor de zekerheid toch maar even een dokter er naar kijken... 'Onafwasbare viltstiften gebruiken', zegt de dokter en dat doet moeder dan maar. Inmiddels is ze met haar gedachten alweer bij haar werk, en daarom krijgt Bart alleen maar een oranje hoofd en groen haar, de rest 'vergeet' ze. Hoe hard Bart ook zegt dat hij zo niet naar school kan, het helpt niets. "Maak je nou maar niet zo druk om hoe je eruitziet, wees trots op hoe je van binnen bent', zegt ze en hup mama is de deur uit.


Arme Bart, natuurlijk wordt hij op school vreselijk gepest en thuis zijn zijn vader, moeder, broer en zusje alweer heel druk met hun eigen dingen. Bart is letterlijk en figuurlijk onzichtbaar. Maar dan bedenkt hij een slim plan, en eindelijk, dát helpt! Eindelijk beseffen ze wat Bart voor hun betekent en dan wordt Bart weer zichtbaar.


Het grappige is dat zelfs op de, gekleurde, afbeeldingen ieder in zijn eigen drukdoenerige hokje zit. Elk gezinslid zit in een eigen kader, zelfs alle schoolkinderen worden elk in hun eigen 'hokje' afgebeeld. Pas als Bart weer zichtbaar is vallen de kaders weg en zien we het hele gezin dat gezamenlijk zit te eten, de nu omkaderde tv, het 'praatapparaat' en het schermpje blijven uit en het boek blijft dicht...

De 'les' is duidelijk, het gevaar van teveel opgaan in je eigen wereld maakt dat veel dingen die echt belangrijk zijn niet meer gezien worden.
Of kleine kinderen deze les zullen oppakken is de vraag, maar bij oudere kinderen en volwassenen zal de boodschap duidelijk overkomen.
Apart verhaal, aantrekkelijk en mooi verzorgd uitgevoerd, zowel qua inhoud als qua uiterlijk.


Zie ook het inkijkexemplaar

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story and artwork. Great story for kids who may feel left out.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)

This is a funny cute story about the plight of the middle child. I loved the illustrations that matched the story.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bill is a middle child who constantly goes unnoticed until one day he just becomes invisible. As invisiBill, he's fed up with being forgotten and decides to pull a prank on the family. Will he get to reappear again?

The family dynamics are funny yet can be true for families of multiple children. This book reminds families of the need to unplug and really take notice and see one another. It also reminds the child who feels invisible that they really aren't.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny take on being one in a larger family. Like A Bad Case of Stripes, a little bit long for my younger storytime crowd, but the older ones in the group would get a kick out of it - especially those who've got a couple siblings. One for the storytimes on siblings or families.

[Ahmed Jabir · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out good but the ending is just terrible especially what to do for his payback, should've went went to school first to get the payback from the students THEN his parents, they all looked after him because of the garbage day turn? Wowwww. Look I have sense of humor I really do it is great but after the half just fell down splat I'm not even gonna put spoilers in it I hate it

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What kid doesn't feel invisible or misunderstood from time to time? This book has the feeling of a classic for me, reminiscent of Florence Parry Heide and Edward Gorey. I love the twisted kooky family and the way the story plays out.

[Tenzin · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is a good book!!!!!!!!!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bill's family is so busy with their own lives that they treat Bill like he's invisible. And then...he is.

[Jillian Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t we all feel invisible sometimes?!? A great read for “the middle child” that might feel forgotten.

[Elin :)]

Was babysitting And read this

[Shayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter loves this story after hearing Stana Katic read it on Bookaboo..... it can be entertaining but i much prefer the condensed version she tells over the full story. But it's my daughter's and she loves it. I do really like the character Gerard.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun little book!

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill was having trouble getting acknowledgement from his family - mother, father, sister, brother - which made him feel invisible. When he actually turned invisible his family noticed his absence and each felt it was their fault. Something had to change!
Fun story and illustrations.

[Rodney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Children's book

[Zoe Schoppa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start out by saying that I absolutely love the illustrations! Dušan Petričić is talented! It is fun how the picture components are placed in multiple boxes on the page. This helps a child (or you) to easily focus on the photo and associate it with each bit of text. The odd angles of the text and photos make the page interesting. The colors are beautiful and the caricatures…well, they are awesome according to my son and I agree.

I read this story with my eight year old son and my six-year-old daughter. When we finished I asked them what they thought about the book. No other audience really matters since InvisiBill is a children’s book. My son looked at me and said it was cool. My daughter just smiled and gave me a thumbs up. That is actually pretty high praise for my wiggly jiggly daughter.

Throughout our reading and upon completion of the book we spent a bit of time talking through the story. This time was well spent as I could tell that there were components of InvisiBill that they didn’t understand and they had some observations that made me smile. Each child views a story through the lens of their own perceptions and experiences but here are some pieces of our conversation:

When we reached the point where “the wonderful, terrible thing that happened” happened. My daughter thought that the family would notice right away and that they would miss Bill. I explained what was really occurring and we moved along.

My kids could understand Bill’s frustration with busy parents and siblings engaged in their own interests.

We all thought that Bill’s hair looked like an orange pineapple as opposed to a pumpkin as it is described in the story.

A great laugh was had at my expense when the peanut butter and pickle sandwich popped up in the story and I was delighted. We haven’t heard of many people even knowing about them let alone willing to try them. I live in a family of six and ALL of them make fun of me when I eat one. I have loved them since I was a kid so I wish that I could be invisible and eat one in peace and quiet. So now Ms. Fergus needs to write a book about having others pay too much attention to what you are doing ;).

As a mother, I believe InvisiBill is a great story to read with your children and to spend a few moments discussing. We all feel invisible sometimes and this story is a good reminder to parents to set aside family time without allowing distractions. It is also good for a child to hear that other kids feel the same way and that they truly are loved even when they don’t feel like it.

As my son hopped out of the room after story time he looked back at me and said again that the book was cool. High marks!

I received a hardback copy from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

For all of my reviews visit Blessed and Bewildered

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill is the middle child of a very busy and important family. They are so busy and important that no one notices Bill, until one day when Bill turns invisible. Bill’s mother takes him to see the doctor who recommends that she color him with magic markers. But Bill’s mother is too busy to color all of Bill so she only colors his head orange and his hair green. Now Bill looks like a floating pumpkin head and everyone at school laughs at him. So Bill decides to take matters into his own hands. He scrubs the marker off his head and hair and writes a good-bye note to his family. When they finally realize that Bill is missing, his family begins to cry and blame themselves. This leads to Bill crying too. Then a wonderful thing happens, Bill becomes visible again. His family is so happy to have him back that they put away all their distractions and start paying attention to Bill again.http://julianaleewriter.com/books-ali...

[Debra Schoenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isn't it every kid's dream to be invisible? Just imagine the stuff you could do. But sometimes, being invisible isn't what it's cracked up to be. Especially when you need a little attention. Or your potato. Bill's family is very busy. Busy texting, phoning, reading and watching TV. At.the.supper.table!

Suddenly Bill disappears and no one seems to notice. He's so unhappy because it seems that everyone is so occupied with their other activities that he is no longer important to them. It's only when the garbage needs to be taken out that his family flies into panic mode when they realize that they can't find him.

There is a lesson in this book - can you find it?

Plenty of amusing illustrations, a hysterically funny doctor and goofy siblings make this children's book a fun read.

[Specialk · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW! This hits the nail on the head - and isn't a bad pick for families who might be struggling with setting aside dedicated family time. The story is too familiar in that Bill's family is very wrapped up in their own lives, cellphones, etc. But the twist is that instead of just feeling invisible, Bill actually turns invisible.

It's a text heavy book - definitely meant to be read with children and parents. But the message needs to be heard by all - children need to know that even if Mom and Dad are distracted they still care, and parents need to know that ignoring children when cellphones buzz can have consequences.

On the story time shelf, although I'm not sure I'm brave enough to actually use it for story time.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing pen and ink illustrations that have been colored in Photoshop highlight a story with which many youngsters will be able to relate. Bill and his request for someone to pass the potatoes at dinner go unnoticed, a clear indicator that everyone around him is far too busy or preoccupied with their own pursuits to pay him the smallest notice. After a series of rather silly occurrences, Bill lets them know what they are missing. I found it rather sad that no one seems to worry about him until it's time for his chores to be done. Still, many youngsters who may feel overlooked themselves will easily relate to the story and how the family puts all their distractions aside briefly so they can share time together at dinner.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher by accident (somehow, it's become mixed up with the Hunger Games trilogy!) and I don't generally read books for this age level but this is a cute story about a middle child named Bill who sometimes feels invisible in his busy family. His parents both work and are attached to their phones and tablets and his siblings only look for Bill when there are chores to be done. Until one day, Bill really does turn invisible and discovers that his family really does care about him, even if they aren't always so good about showing it. The illustrations are colored in soothing hues of pink, purple, green, blue, and brown and express emotion well.

[Shilpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maureen Fergus gives us a snapshot of life as it is today, where both parents work, and technology rules our lives. And she does it with a brilliant tongue-and-cheek style that delivers maximum impact and drama, while continuing to keep the rhythm of the narrative.

Bill's mother and father are both busy people, and sometimes they don't have time for Bill while they check their messages on their whatchamacalit and answer their thingamajiggy.

Full review: http://sukasareads.blogspot.com/2015/...

[Johara Almogbel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I just read it to four hyperactive kids that had just been fighting (aged 5, 9, 10, and 13) and driving me mad, and they all quieted down until I flipped the last page. For that alone I gave it the five stars.

A story about a boy who doesn't get much attention from his family, it's accompanied by lovely illustrations and has a lot of funny bits in it that I appreciated. Plus, the book jacket comes with a 'poster' printed on the inside of it and it made it that much cooler. Recommended!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who hasn't had an InvisiBill moment?
Everyone I tell about this book has a similar story.
Just pass the potatoes!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his busy family, Bill is often overlooked. One day, he becomes as invisible as he feels.

I liked how well Bill articulated his feelings to his family, though they didn't always listen. Probably too long for reading aloud, but nice for sharing one-on-one.

Nice characterization. Pen and ink illustrations. PreK-2.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book should be read to parents as a warning before their own children disappear from lack of attention. Parents: put away your whatchamacallits and your thingamajiggies!
Cartoonish illustrations show each family member in a separate frame, which reflects how they are all living together separately.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bill just wanted his family to pass the potatoes, but his family was so distracted...Bill went invisible. His mother's temporary fix was worse than the original problem, so Bill decides to do something drastic.

A bit of a tall tale to encourage families to unplug and spend time face to face. I didn't find the story incredibly genius or horrible, just kind of average. The main purpose is good.

[Crissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What does it feel like to ask for something and no-one even notice that you are speaking and when they do they interject their own comments and don't help you out. This is Bill's problem at dinner one night. Everyone is at dinner but they are all doing their own things and not interacting with one another. Bill becomes not only invisible in his mind but actually invisible to those around him.

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

OnzichtBart is de Nederlandse titel van dit opmerkelijke prentenboek.
Een heel herkenbaar voorval: iedereen aan tafel is zo verdiept in zijn eigen bezigheden ( vooral op een scherm) dat je het gevoel hebt niet te bestaan. Het verhaal wordt bijzonder leuk verteld.