Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3^-5. Two little dogs, Biff and Buff, live with their beloved owner, Mr. Pockets. Every day, Mr. Pockets dons a coat with two big pockets, deposits Biff in one and Buff in the other and walks to the grocery store, greeting friendly folks along the way. When a hole appears in the right-hand pocket, Biff tries to tell Mr. Pockets, who doesn't understand. The hole grows larger, Biff slips through it, and he finds himself lost in the store. Various people pick him up, promising to help him find his home, but Biff won't be content until he has found Mr. Pockets. The scruffy but expressive line of the ink drawings gives the illustrations an informal look that's just right for the tale of amiable Mr. Pockets and his lovable little dogs. Watercolor washes vividly fill the scenes and draw attention to the lively details of people and animals in action. Well conceived and told with rhythm and humor, the story of Biff and Buff will strike a chord with young children, who don't always communicate well either. Parents and teachers will enjoy reading this endearing Australian picture book, and children will ask for it again and again. --Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
An Australian team confidently delivers a tale about overcoming fear. Mr. Pockets, a kindly middle-aged gentleman with a large nose and a polka-dot muffler, carries his two small dogs, Biff and Buff, in his overcoat pockets everywhere he goes. The right pocket has a hole, though, and he loses Biff when the seam opens and the dog falls out onto the supermarket floor. Several patrons offer to rescue Biff, but he isn't interested in making friends and runs away: "Biff didn't like being a shopping basket dog. He was a pocket dog, Mr. Pockets' pocket dog." Luckily, Mr. Pockets locates Biff after another suspenseful moment or two. Wild (Our Granny) uses short words and repetitive phrases to convey a depth of emotion. Along with the main theme of getting lost and separated, the book contains a premonitory dream of Biff's about becoming separated from his owner, plus a subplot about communication gaps the dogs try to warn Mr. Pockets about the fraying pocket, but for all his kindliness, he cannot understand them. King's (A Special Kind of Love) benevolent, well-padded people and child's-eye perspective of legs and carts add charm and credence to the tale: Biff's dream is scary without becoming too terrifying, and the portrayal of the kindly shoppers will reassure youngsters that Biff will be okay until he finds his way back to his rightful place. Ages 3-7. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Mr. Pockets loves to take his two small dogs everywhere. Biff always rides in the right pocket of his blue plaid coat, and Buff in the left. While out and about one day, Biff notices a small hole in his pocket that begins to grow "bigger and bigger and bigger." He tries to tell his master, but can only manage a "Ruff! Ruff!" Buff warns Biff, "One day you will fall out of the pocket.-On to the ground. You might get lost!" Of course, the very next morning when the trio goes to the store, Biff falls onto the crowded floor, where all of the human legs surrounding him look alike. Several people come to the aid of the pup, putting him in their shopping cart, basket, or doll carriage. Biff doesn't like any of this, for he is a pocket dog. Having run away from his would-be rescuers, cowering on the floor and feeling scared and alone, he is finally found by his congenial master, who deftly sews up the hole. The soft-hued watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations convey the warmth and whimsy that surround Mr. Pockets and his beloved pets. With its happy ending, this is a good choice for children who have worries about getting lost.-Lisa Gangemi Krapp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY (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
Whenever Mr. Pockets goes shopping, he puts his two small dogs, Biff and Buff, in the big pockets of his coat. One day Biff slips through a hole in the pocket and gets lost. Kindly people try to help, but Biff isn't mollified until he's tucked safely back in his owner's coat. Sketchy ink and watercolor illustrations add humor and affection to the story. 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
Even the most secure and loving situations can have their unexpected rough patches, scary episodes that come and go, such as the one that figures in Wilds (Midnight Babies, p. 191, etc.) story. Mr. Pockets is a flighty, but affectionate gent (and is so captured by Kings equally wiggly and homey watercolors) who wears a great, baggy coat come rain or shine, summer or winter. The coat, appropriately, has two very big pockets into which Mr. Pockets tucks his little dogs Biff and Buff. They go everywhere together. But when a hole develops in Biffs pocket, life becomes a shade precarious. As the hole gets bigger, Biff gets the willies. He tries to hide from Mr. Pockets, not wanting to fall through the hole and get lost, but Mr. Pockets always finds him. Then it happens: At a busy shopping market, Biff takes a tumble and loses sight of Mr. Pockets and Buff. Good-hearted folk at the market try to aid him in finding his home, but he is unhappy and flees each kind embrace. Then Mr. Pockets appears out of the forest of legs and sweeps Biff up. Later that evening, he also sews his pocket. King fills his pages with little bits of humor: a mouse peeking out of his hole, a bird unraveling the pocket, and two of the goofiest little dogs around. As a result, a strong current of reassurance flows through this mild drama, a tribulation that young readers can learn to accept will likely turn out just fine. (Picture book. 3-7)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
