Not a Smiley Guy

by Polly Horvath, Boris Kulikov (Contributor)

What will it take to get Ernest to smile? Find out in Newbery Honor author Polly Horvath's picture book debut.

From the day he’s born, Ernest has few complaints. His family is lovely; the world has a lot to offer. He’d like there to be more elephants around, but hey, you can’t have everything. Ernest is just as happy as the next guy.

The trouble is, everyone around him is obsessed with smiling. His parents smile when he learns to walk, when he learns to talk, when he learns to button up his snowsuit. But smiling just isn’t for Ernest, and they can’t let it go. When drastic, elephant-related measures are taken, and Ernest still doesn’t smile, the whole family learns that sometimes loving someone means meeting in the middle.

Equal parts deadpan and genuine, Not a Smiley Guy is an ideal conversation starter for kids just discovering that we each have our own ways of showing how we feel. Readers who struggle to be understood will resonate with Ernest’s good-natured exasperation.

Boris Kulikov’s textured, moody illustrations accompany National Book Award winner Polly Horvath’s sardonic tale of acceptance and intentional communication, as useful for grown-ups as it is for kids.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Emotion, Parenting, Fiction, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2024

About the author

Polly Horvath is the author of many books for young people, including Everything on a Waffle, The Pepins and Their Problems, The Canning Season and The Trolls. Her numerous awards include the Newbery Honor, the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature, the Mr. Christie Award, the international White Raven, and the Young Adult Canadian Book of the Year. Horvath grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She attended the Canadian College of Dance in Toronto and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York City. She has taught ballet, waitressed, done temporary typing, and tended babies, but while doing these things she has always also written. Now that her children are in school, she spends the whole day writing, unless she sneaks out to buy groceries, lured away from her desk by the thought of fresh Cheez Whiz. She lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and two daughters.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/pollyh...

Reviews

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely a quirky book but was a big hit with my five-year-old, who loved spotting the elephants on every page in the clever illustrations. We both laughed a lot and appreciated the book’s closing message.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely. I like Ernest's take on his parents, and his knowledge that he had a good family and "the only thing that would make it better would be some elephants." Kulikov's illustrations have a lot of fun with the elephants, too.

Library copy

[Jamie Johnson Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what to think about this book. It's a strange one, for sure. But I like that it validates a child's personality and shows that we don't have to smile or do what everyone else does.

It's probably a great book to read with children on the autism spectrum, especially if they struggle with social engagement and facial expressions. It's probably just as important for the parents and caregivers of these children to read.

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polly Horvath's first picture book is a quirky story that centers around expressing emotion.

Ernest is like most babies - when very young, he does not smile on command. As he grows older, he doesn't feel the need to smile to give feedback of pleasure. His parents bargain with him, leveraging his love of elephants to bribe him to smile. When he explains that smiling makes him feel silly, his parents acknowledge this and reassure him that they love him. After some thought, Ernest realizes that to keep others you love happy, "...you do what you can."

I really enjoyed Horvath's story. It is quite unusual and went a different way than I thought it would from the start. The cover made me immediately think of my two grandsons who, as babies, would not smile when asked. It also made me think: who is the intended audience? A serious kid who who does express any emotion freely - perhaps a child with autism or one that is just not comfortable expressing emotion?

Like many, I really enjoyed the "find the elephant" on the page game that illustrator Boris Kuikov inserted in the book. Overall I liked the composition of each illustration. What I found a bit disappointing was the darkness of each. The first image of Ernest as a newborn shows him in a brightly sunlit crib and the parents and background behind them very muddy and dark. The strong dark shadows continue throughout the book, making it feel very dark and foreboding. A little more light would have energized this and made it project further so as to be useful for a storytime read aloud.

While Horvath's book is best suited for a small niche audience, it will fill a need in the toolbox of counselors dealing with kids on how others need them to express their emotions to gauge how they are feeling and for those kids who quite plainly do not feel the need to "perform on command".

Recommended for K-3.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oo my friends....

This was a solid and quite funny read until the end.

Not a Smiley Guy focuses on a main character who doesn't like smiling. He never smiled when he was a baby and he never smiled when he got older. His parents often thought that this was because he was unhappy so they did whatever they could to make him appear so. This included all types of gifts and trips and even a pet elephant. When he still doesn't smile, his parents then question his happiness. Ernest simply replies that smiling isn't his thing, but he would do a little jig or so when he was happy to let his parents know how he was feeling.

People express emotions in a variety of ways and some of them do not fit societal expectations/standards. I assumed that the who purpose of this book was to showcase how these expressions can vary. And then I came across the final line of the book, "you don't have to change, but for the people you love do what you can." This is a difficult like to interpret. It could mean that Ernest was expected to change himself, or it could mean that sometimes we do things that we don't always enjoy for the people we love. It is a good lesson in compromising, but not changing who you are at your core. I think that had this been written with a little more clarity I would have enjoyed it more.

[Sarah BT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...not sure what to think about this one. I love Polly Horvath's quirkiness and there are moments of that here for sure. Yet overall, I felt the book just ended without actually having a cohesive plot.

I did like that Ernest didn't smile because he felt he had to or because he caved to pressure. He knew how he expressed his happiness and that was good for him. I think what made it not work for me was the end with the line "You don't have to change, but for the people you love you do what you can." This, paired with Ernest doing a jig, which his parents suggested, felt like he was caving into wishes to show expression and emotion in the way they wanted, which I felt missed the entire point.

It almost felt like two different books-the story of Ernest and smiling and then the story of an elephant, but the two never quite worked together.

I did like looking for the hidden elephants in the art on each page.

This is an odd book that I'm sure will find an audience, but it may be a niche audience.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ernest was a happy baby and is now a happy kid, but he's never done much smiling. Even when Ernest is fully engaged he just doesn't smile. Ernest has a great relationship with his parents and they are big on smiling so they worry. Although Ernest is a sweet, bright kid, you can't help feeling some sympathy for his parents. They would take him out on fun adventures and Ernest would notice that they were not watching the action, but were watching him instead, looking for a smile. Eventually, when he's in kindergarten, they ask him why he isn't happy. "Ernest was surprised. 'I am happy . . . I'm almost always happy. I'm just not a smiley guy.'" So they come up with a little jig for him to signal that he is happy, maybe not every time, but now and then. This is a gently humorous picture book with a nice message for parents about talking more rather than making assumptions and to please not insist your child always have a photo perfect smile.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Judging from the other reviews, I'm not the intended audience for this picture book. While it's encouraging to see a picture book in which a baby who grows up to be a toddler and a little older doesn't smile all the time--I can certainly relate because I've always hated when someone reminds me to smile, which usually results in me making a grimace--the whole scenario just seems too strange to be believable in many respects. Ernest's parents are well meaning but all too eager to please him, even to the point of giving him an elephant. And even that doesn't really work. Ernest is clearly, as the title indicates, not a smiley guy. The mixed media illustrations have a cartoon-panel effect, but I found it odd that the marshmallow peanuts look sort of like brownish-orange nuggets rather than the orange ones from my own childhood.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: When baby Ernest was born his parents stared down at him. They smiled. He enjoyed it. Nice people, he thought. What a good family to be born into. The only thing that would make it better would be some elephants.

Premise/plot: Baby Ernest doesn't smile. Neither does Toddler Ernest. Or Kid Ernest. Ernest just does not smile. Though he does think about elephants a lot. Will his parents ever stop expecting Ernest to smile?

My thoughts: Some picture books are taste specific and naturally have a smaller audience. There were definitely things I enjoyed about this one. Ernest is a hoot. I do enjoy the over-the-top elements like the ELEPHANT. But it is decidedly an ODD, QUIRKY book. The message seems to be that facial expressions don't always line up with what people are feeling on the inside.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ernest is pretty content...but he never smiles. His family does all kinds of things to get him to smile...they even get him an elephant. But he doesn't smile. They finally ask why he isn't happy, and he explains that he is but he just isn't a smiley guy. They don't have to try to make him smile...but he still wants to keep the elephant.

This was a cute story, but frankly left me wishing for a little more. Smiling isn't the only way to show happiness, I recognize. But it is a pretty normal way. I guess I wished that either Ernest eventually smiled OR that he had other recognizable ways of communicating his happiness. But it could lead to a discussion on how we communicate happiness.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ernest is a very happy, contented child. He loves his family even if they are a bit smiley and a bit loud. They are thrilled when he learns to walk and talk and put on his own snowsuit. He even tried smiling. Once. He didn't really like it. His parents are very worried. Because he does not smile, they think he is unhappy. So they get him an elephant which makes him even happier. But still not smiley. They finally figure out together that Ernest just does not like to smile which kind of bothers his parents so together they figure out a quirky compromise!

I liked this take on how being different is OK. It stresses importance of communication and understanding. Also elephants. I also liked that Horvath chose to name our non-smiley friend Ernest.
Plus the illustrations are delightful.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a rather unusual subject but as I think about it, I feel it will be a welcome addition to picture books about feelings and emotional displays. We all know that kid or have been one ourselves - the solemn child who rarely smiles but who is actually very content and comfortable in their own selves.

Horvath explore this idea in Horvath's usual but unusual style and she does it really well. Boris Kulikov does the illustrations in mixed media and they are the perfect accompaniment being slightly surreal.

I think this would be a great discussion starter for a primary classroom and an equally interesting book to use in a discussion of emotions.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This entire book is about a little boy who doesn't smile, even when he is given everything he asks for. I'm not really sure who the intended audience is for this one, but it was pretty odd. I can’t imagine that a child will be entertained by this book. Made with mixed media and gouache/watercolor-- they are just a bit odd. The elephant is almost slightly scary. This book would be a difficult one to recommend since it wasn't the best of stories, but also because it says "scared the bejesus" in the text. Some may find that phrase offensive. (Diamond 25-26)

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book has a pretty solid meaning, but do not be tricked into thinking this is a MEANING book. In fact, this book is completely enjoyable because of and despite it's meaning. Gently humorous, kids will find it funny that this boy is dying to have an elephant. The dry humor might go over some kids' heads -- but read with the right tone this will be great. The illustrations are cool and comical. This is a pretty good picture book.

[Susan Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Polly Horvath's Not a Smiley Guy is a celebration for any child who is weary of all adults or relatives who chide them to smile. There are a variety of ways for people to show that they are happy and enjoying themselves. Ernest is not a smile guy... but his voyage of self discovery did eventually lead to his welcoming an elephant into his family. Incidentally, everyone needs their own elephant named Marcia.

[Mr. Lowton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Canadian picture book, 2024 publication. I'm conflicted on this book. It's about a boy who isn't smiley, and his parents do everything they can to get him to smile. It has a wry sense of humour, and the parents do some pretty outlandish things, all of which I enjoyed. But the conclusion is where the boy tries to change to make his parents happy, which is a strange message to convey in 2024. I think I'll pass on this one, which is too bad, because the beginning did make me smile.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ernest is content as a baby and as a growing child. He appreciates the people, places and items in his life. The problem is that he doesn't smile. His parents worry and do all sorts of things to get him to smile. Finally, they ask him what they can do and he tells them how happy he is - he just isn't a smiley guy. They accept this and move on with life.
It feels like this book could have

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good readaloud with a lot to think about, and many elephants to find in the illustrations. Especially for those grownups who are always encouraging kids to "smile" or to demonstrate their feelings in a specific way, this was a great discussion about other ways to show how you feel.

Weird but good.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a HUGE fan of Polly Horvath - Canning Season, joy! - but I'm not sure about the audience for this one. More likely a balm for parents who have a sober child, than for the child themselves. Witty and wise, of course, but no widespread appeal.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ernest is new to the world, and feels fond of the place already - except for how determined people are to get him to smile. It's not that he's unhappy - that's just not how he expresses himself. As he gets older, his parents seem to have resigned themselves to his lack of smiles - or have they?

This would be a good book for focusing on Character Ed and accepting people's differences/communication. Ernest understands the social cue of smiling, but isn't comfortable using it himself and must find other ways to express himself. I've seen others may read into his character as having autism, though it's never really implied in the text other than the non-smiling thing.

The illustrations are... fine. Not my style, but they're not too bad. Kids reading will have fun finding the elephant, however it's not actually hidden on every page which could be confusing if they're looking for it somewhere it wasn't included.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

“At the street fair when the clowns came out his parents didn’t even glance at them. They watched him instead. He was beginning to think it was creepy.” Like this story and its ominous illustrations of a boy being surveilled by his parents and coerced to smile. Then add an elephant to the mix.

[Shari (Shira) · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, is 2025 going to be the year of weird picture books? This one is a story of a boy who does not like to smile. His parents go through extremes to get him to smile, like getting him a pet elephant. So weird....

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little boy is happy but doesn't smile. His parents buy him what he wishes for--an elephant.
He still doesn't smile but does a little jig to display his happiness.
Might be tied in to SEL: naming emotions, showing emotions.

[Leslie Kimmelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky? Absolutely. Hilarious? Totally! A story about a boy who is perfectly happy, just not the smiley type. His family doesn't get it. A wonderful message (without being message-y) about acceptance, about someone who perhaps doesn't show his emotions like everyone else. Pitch perfect.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I imagine reading this book will be quite the relief to children who don't understand the point of performative smiling.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't seen a book that accepts a child not wanting to smile and doesn't end with the child "learning" to smile. I think this is a needed little story. Nice message at the end.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are incredibly dark and drab, and I didn't really care for the story, which was too over-the-top to convey its message in a way I personally found meaningful.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quirky book with humor that won’t appeal to everyone. I appreciate exploring the idea of happiness and forced emotions to please others.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky. Interesting. Some interesting conversation starters.