Edwardo: The Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World

Burningham, J. (2006). Edwardo: The horriblest boy in the whole wide world. 1^st

American ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

As a teacher who interacts with children on a daily basis, this story reminded me just how much my attitude can impact a child’s life. Edwardo is a normal boy who does things he shouldn’t from time to time. Sometimes he’s noisy, messy, dirty, and even mean. The adults in his life tend to be harsh and negative with him, which only makes matters worse. One day, he accidentally does something “right,” which leads to another adult praising him. This continues on and on until Edwardo begins to feel more and more valued and loved. And by the end of the story, he has a smile on his face.

This picture book fits within the realistic fiction genre, because it is could certainly take place. Though the illustrations are very minimalistic, they still impact the story tremendously. The illustrator used incomplete, sketch-like lines and soft watercolors to create his illustrations. When the adults in the story are criticizing Edwardo, they are dramatically bigger in size—showing their emotional power over Edwardo. When interacting with adults who are more positive with him, the characters are more proportionate in size, which shows that he is feeling of worth. The illustrator also uses blank space to represent the loneliness and isolation Edwardo feels.

The conflict in this story is person-against-person, because Edwardo is dealing with the criticism of others—the adults in his life. And as unfortunate as it is, many of our students come from homes where they do not have positive, adult role models. They may have encountered adults who are demeaning in the way the adults in this story are. So, this may be a story that is relatable for them. At the same time, this story shows that positivity can have a tremendous impact on a child. So, as teachers, we must CONSTANTLY be showing patience, love, support, and encouragement for all kids.

In regard to comprehension, I would show students the following illustration. I would ask them to INFER how Edwardo is feeling. The author never tells us how Edwardo felt about all the criticism and negativity, but he doesn’t have to tell us… His illustrations speak volumes! As a class, we could compile a list to describe how Edwardo must feel at this point in the story. Here are some questions that could facilitate this conversation:

1.    How do you think Edwardo feels here? Why do you think so?

2.    Why do you think the adults in this picture are so much bigger than Edwardo? Why would the illustrator do this?

3.    How would you feel if someone called you “the horriblest boy/girl in the whole wide world?”