A kick takes on a life of its own in the kids' book, 'When Tad Kicked Vlad'

A story begins on Tad’s birthday when Vlad eats the last slice of Tad’s cake before Tad can eat any. Tad kicks Vlad, and Vlad kicks Bill. Bill kicks his twin sister, Jill, and the kick continues as a chain reaction that travels around the world and returns to Tad on his next birthday. Tad then farts in Vlad’s face, and the cycle keeps going. The kick’s spread is described as reaching playgrounds, parks, and stadiums, involving large crowds and many red cards. The illustration approach uses an aerial view of the city, mapping the kick’s path so a child can follow it.

"“What makes a story a story? You have to have stuff happen and then the stuff that happens has to have consequences.” The kids came up with a story about someone who kicked someone. And then that character kicked someone else. And then, Julian Gough says, “one kid just sort of jumped up in his seat in the class and shouted, 'The kick could go 'round the world!' and I thought, 'Oh my God, that's a book!'”"

"When Tad Kicked Vlad begins on Tad's birthday. Before he's gotten to eat any of his own birthday cake, Tad's best friend, Vlad, eats the very last slice. Tad is mad. So Tad kicks Vlad. Vlad kicks Bill. Bill kicks his twin sister, Jill. And before you know it, Tad's kick has kicked off a chain of kicks that travels all the way around the world, and back to Tad on his next birthday. At which point, Tad farts in Vlad's face. And on it goes."

"When Gough sends the kick off to the big city, he writes: “It kicked everyone in the playground! Then it kicked everyone in the park! And then it kicked everyone in the stadium! Fifty-five thousand, five hundred and fifty-five people kicked each other, and the referee had to give so many red cards his arm got tired. After the game, the kick went for a hot dog.”"

"Collins says as an illustrator, “you're reading that going, 'This could be like the best thing I've ever had to illustrate or the worst and it's really hard to know what.'” His way out of drawing something complicated was to draw something even more complicated: an entire city as viewed from the sky. “I drew the path of the kick working its way around the city,” he explains, “so that a child could work their way a”"

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