Impossible

January 25, 2021
In this wispy be-careful-what-you-wish-for fable that takes a comic scenario to the far reaches of its logic, the title’s “impossible” refers to two-and-a-half-year-old Toribio. Though he looks sweetly at readers as he clutches a red truck, he is driving his parents around the bend. He doesn’t sleep, and they can’t, either. He fusses over meals and won’t permit his hair to be washed (“What happened?” his father gasps, as Toribio’s mother, clad in a sleeveless red dress, emerges from the bathroom drenched). And he doesn’t want to use the potty, preferring instead to fill his pants. Punchy spreads by Isol (Daytime Visions) combine splashes of wash and loose figure outlines that don’t quite align, contributing to the sense of household chaos. In desperation, Toribio’s parents answer a newspaper ad: for $250, Mrs. Meridien, an expert, promises to put everything to rights. And she does, in a most unexpected way. Despite the sweet-tempered setup, which establishes Toribio as a reasonably defiant toddler, the story proves a sly cautionary tale, instead, about his parents—and the fruitlessness of wishing to change an individual’s very nature. Ages 3–7.

March 15, 2021
Toribio the toddler is a terror. The text explains that "his parents love him very much. / But they would also love to get some sleep." In other words, and to invoke the title, Toribio is impossible. A muted color palette contrasts stylistically with the Argentine author/illustrator's energetic linework, which skillfully conveys Toribio's vigor (not to mention his volume) while also doing the work of depicting his parents' weariness. Toribio's parents desperately want him to stop being afraid of the dark, to eat protein, to bathe without fussing, to nap, and to use the potty. While real-life parents may find the depiction of the parent-child dynamic quite authentic, the story takes a fantastic turn when Toribio's parents seek help from a "specialist" in solving problems. They end up with an "impossible" solution: After paying a fee and following instructions that involve a magic powder, they sleep uninterrupted and awaken to find that Toribio has transformed into a cat! The story ends rather abruptly at this point, with the parents seeming to rue the fact that they got what they wished for, though Toribio the cat seems perfectly content in the illustrations. All characters appear White in illustrations, with skin color matching the pages' background colors and dark, straight (if unkempt) hair. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.8-by-15.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 25.3% of actual size.) A fun take on the terrible 2s, if a bit twisted. (Picture book. 3-6)

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