Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3^-8. Big sister Ruby is helping Max clean his room. Of course, Max is not being much help in conventional terms, but in his own way he does contribute. Into the front pocket of Max's overalls go pebbles and sand from his Power City Rocker Crusher dump truck, a few ants from his ant farm, his melting Popsicle, and well, you get the idea. Like all Max and Ruby books, this one does not disappoint. It's often hard for parents to find the humor in a child's messiness, but Wells reminds us that it's essential to try. Ruby says to Max, "There is a place for everything and everything is in its place." But how Max responds to that stock phrase is just one of the things that makes this book special. --Kathy Broderick
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-The rabbit siblings are back, and they're just as lovable as ever. This time, Ruby is attempting to get Max to clean up his room. Instead of throwing away such things as dirt from his dump truck, ants from his ant farm, an old Easter egg, a melted Popsicle, and other gooey things, he deposits all of them in his front pocket. This, of course, leads to a messy discovery on the last page. The illustrations have more texture than those in the earlier stories; these mixed-media pictures include rubber ants, bird gravel, silver foil, and more, resulting in a new, different, and visually appealing look.-Christina F. Renaud, Attleboro Public Library, MA (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
As Ruby goes on a cleaning spree, her younger brother, Max, surreptitiously stashes his special possessions in his overalls, including a melting Popsicle, an old Easter egg, ant farm ants, and sand. Wells's mixed-media illustrations feature the familiar rabbit siblings but aren't well integrated with the text. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (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
Corduroys pocket has nothing on Maxs. While sainted big sister Ruby scurries busily about restoring order to his gloriously cluttered room, Max surreptitiously rescues treasures from the trash, including the dirt from his Power City Rocker Crusher dump truck, an open tube of Miracle Bubbles, ants escaped from the ant farm, an ancient Easter egg, and a half-melted Popsicle. Wells hasnt changed her stumpy sibs, aside from making them even bigger and more portly, but here she places them amidst low relief collages constructed from, among other media, paper, feathers, gravel, rubber ants, and large, brightly colored blobs ofsomething. The effect isnt entirely successful; though everything bursts from Maxs bulging pocket in a grand climactic spill, it hasnt mixed or smeared together at all, making a mess that is, paradoxically, very clean-looking. Still, its a good try, as droll as ever, and sure to draw plenty of giggles from the burgeoning Max and Ruby fan club. (Picture book. 3-5)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
