Kid Crazy and The Kilowatt King, strange, happy, hyper creative kidlit

Don’t judge a book by its cover is a metaphor, however in this case it’s an apt one. By looking at the cover for Kid Crazy and The Kilowatt King I was expecting a book that tried too hard. I thought perhaps it would beat you over the head with its crazy vibe and outer-space illustrations. That, plus the length of the book led me to think that it’s packed with filler. Hello thought crow, Kid Crazy and the Kilowatt King is entirely different than any children’s book I’ve read before.

It is a rhyming book whose content is great for ages 4 and up. However, a cursory look at the book might lead some older readers think that the book is too dark. Our wife looked at Kid Crazy and said that the words were great, but that the imagery was depressing. I was exactly the opposite.

Initially I was blown away by the art and lukewarm to the words. The illustrations are by Arthur Mask and are certainly darker than some children’s stories. One part of the world where the story sets place on is desolate, barren, rocky area where Kid Crazy roams. He yearns to see the large, illuminated city that he can see in the distance that is supposedly ruled by a bad tempered king who makes people sing for his enjoyment.

One day Kid Crazy sees Denunzio Gots, a kind droid who questions Kid Crazy about his desire to go there. As any kid will do, they throw caution to the wind, go to the big city and get captured by The Kilowatt King’s men. Once in front of the king he presents him with a riddle that any child and parents can relate to.

Parts of Kid Crazy and The Kilowatt King are a trippy, kid-friendly Fury Road with a side of steam punk in that world where Blade Runner was conceived. The art is simply lovely and magically conveys the size of the story that the words spell out.

It’s also important to highlight the story. Claudio Sanchez plays it close to the chest and allows the brevity of the words to carry the weight of a children’s story that could’ve become too dark, long or not interesting.  The most verbose pages have two sentences on them. The fact that every other one rhymes allows the book to breeze through at a very fast pace, despite its deceivingly long length.

At the end of the book the lesson is this: just be nice and polite. Kid Crazy and The Kilowatt King lives in a space that is on the way to Tim Burton territory. It’s deliciously weird, has a couple monsters in it and is futuristic at the same time that it’s happy, carefree and deliciously weird.