Review by Booklist Review
Ages 4^-7. In this sequel to Bill and Pete (1978) and Bill and Pete Go down the Nile (1987), Pete the Crocodile discovers that the Bad Guy's Big Bad Brother has taken Pete's cousin little Jane Allison from the Nile and loaded her onto a big ship. Pete and his faithful friend (and toothbrush) Bill the bird secretly board the ship too. When Bill retrieves and returns the purse a rich lady has dropped overboard, she rewards him with a life of ease in her gilded cage. Though separated, the two friends meet up in New Orleans. Bill manages to escape in time to help Pete and his new alligator buddies rescue Jane (and in a surprise twist, Pete's long-lost father as well) from the Bad Guy's Big Bad Brother's Exotic Animal Farm. Created with clean lines and sometimes surprising color combinations, the illustrations dramatize the scenes from a variety of different perspectives. Old-fashioned in its full-blown, dramatic plot, yet fresh in its palette and in its sense of fun, this picture book offers characters to care about, troubles to confound them, comic relief along the way, and a happy ending to revel in. Best of all is the feeling of rightness that pervades the whole adventure, from the wonderfully childlike choice of the villain's name to the overwhelming sense that, despite the treachery and stupidity of individuals, the universe is benevolent. --Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Little Jane Allison, William Everett (Bill) Crocodile's cousin, has disappeared from the banks of the Nile in dePaola's third, likable, loony adventure starring crackerjack sleuth Bill and his best pal (and trusty toothbrush), Pete the plover. An eyewitness reports that the diminutive crocodile has been loaded onto a ship in a cage. "It's times like these that I wish your father was here, and not a suitcase," laments Bill's Mama, gazing at a painting of a green valise, labeled "Dad." The winningly melodramatic text and perky, neon-hued art repeatedly serve up similarly droll tidbits, likely to entertain parents as well as youngsters. Bill and Pete, both wearing backpacks, stow away on the ship, which berths in New Orleans. There a throng of friendly 'gators gives Bill a rousing bayou welcome and helps him rescue Little Jane. She happens to be sharing a cage with Bill's father, whooh joy!is not a suitcase after all. Readers will delight in this dynamic duo and will happily accompany them to any continent. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3ÄWhen readers last saw young crocodile Bill and his best friend/toothbrush Pete the bird in Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile (Putnam, 1987), they had tricked the Bad Guy, who is now in jail. But the Nile isn't safe yet. The Bad Guy's Big Bad Brother, also a crocodile thief, is in town and has captured cousin croc Jane Allison. Bill and Pete go to her rescue, but through a series of misadventures Pete is made a house pet and Bill ends up swimming in a Louisiana bayou with the local `gators. A reunited Bill and Pete team up with the `gators to defeat evil, rescuing the captivesÄincluding Bill's long lost father. This story line is not as smooth or straightforward as in the earlier title. The many plot twists and turns make it far-fetched, even for a talking-crocodile story. The youngest readers may question the "hows" of Bill's adventure. Still, those who enjoyed the earlier capers will want to read this one. They will certainly recognize the scenes at a glance. The illustrations are the same bordered line-and-wash style found in the previous books, and the characters are typical dePaola.ÄHeide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The adventures of Bill the crocodile and his sidekick Pete the plover (Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile, 1987, etc.) continue with this trans-Atlantic rescue of Bill's little cousin Jane Allison. She's been been kidnapped from her Nile home by the Bad Guy's Big Bad Brother, to be showcased at his Exotic Animal Farm in New Orleans. Bill and Pete get wind of the heist and stow away on the boat transporting Jane Allison. The story gets a little involved: Pete is incarcerated and Bill forms an animal liberation group with some Cajun alligatorsBubba and his cousinswhom he meets in Decatur Bayou. Pete escapes and joins Bill and the new friends in the freeing of Jane Allison and her fellow inmates at the farm. DePaola has laced the story with clever quipsPete, who has been caught and caged on the top floor of a swanky home, says to himself, ``It is lonely up here at the top,'' and Bill's mother says, ``It's times like these that I wish your father was here, and not a suitcase''and his illustrations are highly amusing. It strains the series to work in that New Orleans backdrop, but readers will still be hoping for another glimpseon any continentof Bill and Pete. (Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
