Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This charming if slim tale from a French team introduces a disgruntled young critter whose complaints of boredom fall on deaf parental ears. Sulkily entering his bedroom, Charlie kicks his teddy bear, which springs to life, accusing his owner of no longer paying attention to him ("I get nothing-not a hug, not even a tickle! I'm bored!"). After a toy robot and donkey air similar grievances, Charlie galvanizes the trio, pledging he's "going to get rid of Boredom!" Observing that his cluttered desk is "bored to death," the youngster and his toys use books and other items to transform it into a Monster Who Eats Boredom. Their next plan of attack involves positioning a toy castle and soldiers high on a hill (fashioned from a blanket), to create a fortress to fend off boredom. Charlie's parents and sister open the door and break the spell, accusing the lad of making a mess of his room. Charlie's drab response trumpets the book's message: "Clean stuff is boring.... If we play something, we won't get bored!" Pinel's pastel art makes for the winning component here, featuring comic details and a palette that shifts from nearly monochromatic to cheerfully hued once Charlie's imagination fires up. This tale may well inspire under-stimulated kids to ignite their own imaginations. Ages 3-7. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Charlie, a small pastel-rendered mouse/cat/fox is bored-no one in his family will play with him. So, he and his toys create a boredom-fighting army to defeat the boredom monster. Although the imaginary battle is triumphant and the protagonist quickly banishes the boredom bug, his mother is less than thrilled with the resulting chaos. The family comes together over a board game in the end and boredom is forgotten (but the messiness of the room is not). Boldly colored objects occasionally punctuate the softly colored illustrations (a red colander makes a handy helmet) but most of the book is dominated by gray-blue tones. A sweet, yet uninspired story that is saved by a smattering of lovely illustrations.-Genevieve Gallagher, Murray Elementary School, Charlottesville, VA (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
(Preschool, Primary) A grumpy childhood refrain acts as the title for this amiable story in which the defeat of boredom requires group effort. Young Charlie, a pointy-nosed gray dog, gets the brush-off from his distracted parents when he complains of having nothing to do, so he goes to his room, kicks a neglected teddy bear lying on the floor, and consequently discovers that his stuffed bear can talk. What's more, the bear is just as bored as he is. The shadowy pastel illustrations start off depicting Charlie's blah day in black and white, then gradually add color as his imagination starts to come out of its stupor. With the help of a roomful of animated playthings -- who, it is suggested, were all bored because their owner usually spends more time in front of the TV or computer than he does with them -- Charlie stages a messy battle to flush out boredom and banish it from the realm. His mother is a tad up set by the disarray resulting from her son's afternoon activity, but she settles down amidst the clutter to play a board game with Charlie, his dad, and his sister. Mission accomplished. (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
Shocked to find out that his teddy bear and other toys are as bored as he is, young Charlie springs into action, outfitting them all with kitchen cookware and other found items and marshalling them into a boredom-fighting army. Pinel's button-eyed, fox-headed human family comes off as strange-looking, but he artfully gives visual expression to Charlie's rising level of involvement by adding color to the black-and-white scenes, item by item--and Charlie's artful use of books, balls (for eyes) and socks to convert his desk into a Monster Who Eats Boredom is priceless by itself. Ultimately, Charlie makes such a ruckus that the rest of his family is drawn in, though they end up playing a less melodramatic board game. Like Polly Dunbar's Flyaway Katie (2004) or Mini Grey's Traction Man Is Here! (2005), this is a thoroughly boredom-banishing tribute to the animating power of imagination. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
