Review by Booklist Review
K-Gr. 2. Charlie is a cautious sort, a kid who likes to be prepared for any contingency. He dons his raingear just in case it rains in the house, makes 117 PB&J sandwiches just in case all the food stores are closed, digs a pit just in case a lion gets loose, and--you get the idea. He's prepared for everything . . . except the surprise ending of this droll little story. Blumenthal's colorful, mixed-media illustrations add some good cheer, sly wit (the title of Charlie's book, Semper Paratus, is an especially nice touch), and a companionable canine to the catalog of Charlie's hypothetical just in case concerns. --Michael Cart Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Viorst's (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) jaunty tale introduces an imaginative, somewhat anxious boy who prepares for nearly any contingency. "Charlie knows how to be ready. And Charlie likes to be ready, Just in case." Just in case it rains hard inside his house, he's ready with boots, slicker, umbrella and inflatable boat; just in case a bossy sitter arrives, he's "going to make her not glad" that she came, by washing his feet in the toilet and painting his face green. The scenarios become increasingly outlandish (he digs a pit as a trap in case a lion escapes from the zoo, and brings oars to the beach so he can row himself back to shore if a mermaid pulls him out to sea). In a satisfying about-face, Charlie awakens one day feeling sad that "the whole wide world forgot about his birthday"; when friends surprise him with gifts, he "isn't the slightest bit ready, But maybe not being ready is sometimes okay." Playful repetition and varying font sizes make for amusing emphasis, and a sly uncertainty as to whether any of these hypotheticals came to pass, add to the whimsy. Featuring an intriguing array of fabrics and textures, Bluthenthal's (I'm Not Invited?) mixed-media art comically chronicles the actual (or imagined) antics of Charlie and his omnipresent pooch. Ages 3-7. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Viorst's talent for voicing childhood anxieties is evident once again. Charlie likes to be ready for any emergency, so he makes outlandish preparations for whatever might befall him. If someone "bossy and mean" instead of his favorite sitter comes, he'll make her "not glad" by "washing his feet in the toilet bowl" and "painting his face a most horrible shade of green." Just in case all the food stores close, he makes "a hundred and seventeen peanut-butter sandwiches" and stockpiles goodies for everyone in the family. Readers will enjoy his antics to protect himself from being swooped up by a bird on the way to school or escaping a mermaid who might grab his big toe. And they will relish the special surprise for which Charlie is completely unprepared. In full-page and vignette mixed-media cartoon illustrations, Bluthenthal depicts a determined kid, accompanied by his ever-faithful dog, as he goes about his preparations. One hilarious spread shows the boy outstretched in exhaustion after packing food to last "through to the middle of May." Along with Kevin Henkes's Wemberly Worried (HarperCollins, 2000) and Helen Lester's Something Might Happen (Houghton, 2003), this book offers some reassurance to readers preoccupied with their fears.-Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT (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
Charlie is prepared for anything: in case it rains into his house, he dons his rain gear. This is one of several scenarios that together grow tiresome, so by book's end, when Charlie learns that having fun at a surprise party requires unpreparedness, some readers will have lost interest. The mixed-media art calls to mind that of a buttoned-down Lauren Child. (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
Charlie likes to be ready for any eventuality. In case a lion gets loose from the zoo, he's dug a leaf-covered pit in his back yard. In case a bird flying south is actually after him, he's wearing a helmet, carrying a sleeping bag and packing a parachute. In case a mermaid grabs his toe at the beach and tries to drag him out to sea to play, Charlie has a net, a snorkel and some oars. But there's one thing Charlie couldn't prepare for: his surprise birthday party. Surely, he decides, that is a case when not being ready is okay. Bluthenthal's mixed-media collage illustrations of a tow-headed Charlie by turns mischievous, frightened and tickled add personality to Viorst's Boy Scout-in-the-making. Scared readers will find solace as they laugh at Charlie's over-active imagination and perfect preparedness. A worthy addition to Viorst's Alexander stories. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
