Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 1-3. This tale-within-a-tale is the first of Grandpa Spanielson's Chicken Pox Stories, a new series of An I Can Read Books from the creator of the popular Minnie and Moo characters. Barney, a puppy, has succumbed to chicken pox. The doctor's prescription is a soothing bath, but Grandpa claims stories have anti-itch properties, too. The ensuing tall tale about his long-ago battle with a furious octopus is certainly wild enough to distract even the poxiest pup. Cazet includes some wordplay that may confuse new readers, as when Barney mispronounces his affliction as chicken pops, but the expressive line-and-watercolor artwork has the timeless feel of Arnold Lobel and Else Minarik's early forays into the genre, and the silliness is--what else?--contagious. The premise of an outrageous story within the more commonplace framework of Barney's illness will be repeated in future installments, although this tender intergenerational relationship seems poised for spin-offs even after the pox has disappeared. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-This book is sure to brighten any reader's day, and will be welcome by fans of Cazet's popular "Minnie and Moo" series. When Doctor Storkmeyer diagnoses Barney with chicken pox, the pup's grandparents give him a warm, soapy bath and his grandfather tells him an uproarious tall tale. It took place in Grandpa's youth when he lived by the sea, on a day so stormy that the sea and its creatures burst up from the bathtub drain. Grandpa and an Octopus had a swordfish sword fight and exchanged nasty names, until the storm ended and the Octopus disappeared. Readers may howl when Grandpa, fully clothed, steps into the tub to save Barney from the sponge/octopus floating in the water. In sickness and in health, beginning readers will love the humor, action, and compassion in this story, brought to life in the fun-filled text and superb cartoon illustrations.-Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI (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
(Primary) When his favorite grandpup comes down with chicken pox, Grandpa Spanielson knows just the cure: his ""famous anti-itch Chicken Pox Stories."" The doctor mocks Grandpa's ideas. ""I've known you for seventy years! You couldn't cure a ham."" Not to be deterred, Grandpa offers an adventurous yarn concerning a great storm that brings all manner of sea creatures into his home, including a giant octopus that engages Grandpa in a swashbuckling swordfish fight and is summarily dispatched down the drain. This ambitious start to a new I Can Read series gives beginning readers an original story told through short, declarative sentences, snappy dialogue, and illustrations that provide characterization and context clues for the limited text. Still, there's a real challenge here. With his story-within-a-story format, Cazet asks children to engage in a narrative pattern not usually found in books for the youngest of readers. But he provides plenty of visual clues to signal the change from the sickbed to the anti-itch story: an internal title page, a more vibrant palette, and larger, bolder figures that reflect the energy of Grandpa's tale. One can only hope that the grandpup's bout with chicken pox lasts long enough for Grandpa to spin a few more of his restorative tales. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The creator of Minnie and Moo opens an equally engaging series featuring a flop-eared young pup and his yarn-spinning grandpa. Grandma draws little Barney a warm bath to soothe his chicken-pox itch, but as soon as she leaves the room, Grandpa supplies a remedy of his own with a rousing tale from his days as a lighthouse keeper, about the time a storm drove a huge octopus up out of the tub's drain. Cazet's soft colors get stronger and wilder, as does the story, one of swordfish-fighting and the like. Then the cozy domestic setting gets a good drenching as Grandpa, growing more and more animated, suddenly spots a spongy "octo" in Barney's bathwater and jumps in, fully clothed, to "rescue" his excited listener. Later, mopping up the mess, he promises Barney a thrilling tale from his days as Fire Chief--a clever link to the as-yet-unscheduled second episode. Fine, splashy fare for developing readers. (Easy reader. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
