“I remember it clearly,” says the now-adult narrator of Matthew Cordell’s 102. “On that day—October 2—I saw a mouse at 102 Greenbriar Drive, scurrying between my feet and across the kitchen floor.” Like his Caldecott Medal-winningWolf in the Snow, 102 focuses on a child and animal who face similar difficulties (in this case, an illness), and how kindness and cooperation can save the day. Like Cordell’s Evergreen, the story features a wonderful world of woodland creatures and the healing power of soup.
The narrator, George, recounts being sent home from school with a fever, which rises to 102 during the night. That number’s frequent appearance—almost like chapter headings—provides a unifying theme that will delight observant young readers, as well as a subtle intimation that this tale may or may not be the result of a fever dream. At 1:02 am, a cricket wakes George and helps him shrink and travel through a crack in his bedroom wall, entering an enchanting miniature world inhabited by crickets, ants and spiders. The cricket leads George outside, where they encounter a menacing owl as well as a mouse family who live at 102 Acorn Hollow, where a sick young mouse named Junior desperately needs George’s help.
Cordell’s artwork is as enthralling as his adventure-filled narrative, filled with minute, magical detail. In the front matter, Cordell notes that he used “multicolored (and multiscented) ballpoint pen on paper,” adding, “The ink from sixteen of these pens was used to completion.” That telling statement hints at the depth of his penwork, full of delicate yet robust strokes of muted, rich color and fascinating textures. Look closely at every detail, such as the blades of grass outside Acorn Hollow and the 102 beans floating in George’s mother’s steaming soup.
102 has the feel of a timeless new classic, evoking the charm of The Borrowers, the wonder of The Polar Express and the interspecies caretaking and masterful linework of A Sick Day for Amos McGee.