Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3-6. Always a good foil for Max, Ruby's up to her rabbit ears in trouble in this exuberant new adventure. Max wants a dragon shirt. Max needs new pants, and Ruby's charged with making sure he gets them. Unfortunately "Girl's Better Dresses" is her undoing. Lured by the lovely frocks, she hangs her own white-trimmed yellow number on a dressing room hook and begins to try on dresses--while bored Max dozes beside her on the floor. Unaware that he's asleep, she zips out for another look at the merchandise, and no sooner is she gone than Max opens his eyes. Chaos ensues as Max careens through the store, following a yellow dress he thinks is on his sister, while Ruby conducts a frantic search of her own. By the time they're reunited, Max has appropriated the dragon shirt he wanted all along, and Ruby has to foot the bill. The expressive rabbit countenances are exceptionally delightful here, conveying much of the story's wit. Children will love the bright colors and patterns Wells combines in her pictures and chortle when the story ends, as officious big sister Ruby gets the comeuppance she so richly deserves. ~--Stephanie Zvirin
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
It's hard to imagine anyone--child or adult--getting his or her fill of the indefatigable Max, who always manages to get his way no matter what. Here, the bad-news bunny and sister Ruby go to a department store to replace Max's beloved, stained overalls, which are held up by a safety pin. They have five dollars for a new pair of pants, but Max would rather spend the money on a more exotic item. ``Dragon shirt,'' he keeps insisting in his delightfully pithy, ever-determined manner. While Ruby is trying on dresses, Max slips out of the changing room and wanders into Boys' Sportswear, where he finds a rack of shirts emblazoned with a dragon's face. By the time Ruby catches up with her impish brother, he has dribbled ice cream all over the dragon shirt--which happens to cost exactly five dollars. Max wins again, as does Wells ( The Little Lame Prince ; Shy Charles ) . Her droll sibling interplay is perfectly on target, and her inimitable bunny is as irresistible as ever. Ages 3-7. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-- The engaging toddler rabbit is back, clad in tattered, paint-smeared, but dearly loved old blue pants. Draconian older sister Ruby drags him to the store for new ones, but Max, insistent as ever, only has eyes for a green shirt featuring a fire-breathing dragon. When Ruby spies first one dress and then another that she loves, the two become separated, and the search that follows is a true comedy of errors. Winsome but willful Max gets his heart's desire, and once again Ruby is deflated, giving young readers and listeners the vicarious satisfaction of besting an older sibling. The text reads well aloud, but is easy enough for beginning readers, who will soon notice that while Ruby gives her orders, Max's vocabulary is limited to one telling line repeated throughout: ``Dragon shirt.'' Wells uses more background, more detail here than in previous ``Max'' stories, artfully capturing the hustle-bustle of a busy department store. Another gleeful romp with a pair of unforgettable hares.-- Trev Jones, School Library Journal (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 Horn Book Review
Ruby has five dollars to spend on new pants for Max to replace his 'disgusting' old blue ones, but Max wants a dragon shirt. When Ruby becomes engrossed in trying on dresses, Max gets lost in the department store. By the time they are reunited, Max has gotten what he wanted - as usual. Both adults and children will recognize themselves and familiar feelings and experiences in this story for all ages. From HORN BOOK 1991, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Hooray! Max is back, again giving bossy older sister Ruby her comeuppance just by going his own sweet, imperturbable way. Ruby has just five dollars to buy Max a pair of much-needed pants. Max remarks quietly that he prefers a dragon shirt; Ruby points out in her usual tactless manner that Mother's directions were explicit and there won't be enough money. Then she gets involved in trying on dresses; Max doses off, wakes, wanders down to Boys' Sportswear and tries on the coveted shirt, finds himself lost, and is comforted by two policemen and some multicolored ice cream, which he gets all over the shirt...Meanwhile, Ruby finally misses him, pursues her own distraught itinerary, and arrives to find that the shirt is now Max's by default. Deliciously witty, with Wells also capturing every nuance- -and satirizing the department store and its denizens--in her delightful illustrations. Totally satisfying. (Picture book. 3-8)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
