Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. The intrepid sheep Boo and Baa are raking leaves when they hear a cat high above them, sitting on a tree limb and afraid to climb down. After unsuccessfully tempting it with sardines and a plank to a second-story window, Boo tries a rescue but ends up stuck in the tree himself when his ladder breaks. There's more to come, all of which will leave children laughing out loud. With body language and choreography worthy of a classic silent-film comedy, this droll picture book uses page design and the page turns exceptionally well in telling the story. Fully twice the size of the six earlier picture books in the Boo and Ba series, this volume allows for more on a page and has enabled the illustrator to use the space more creatively, which he does by varying the sizes and shapes of his images and using unusual perspectives. Sensitive line drawings create empathy with the well-meaning but calamity-prone characters. Translated from Swedish into economical English prose, the text provides deadpan commentary and short conversations that explain what's happening in the pictures. It's the artwork, however, that makes Boo and Baa stand out as a great comic team. One thing is certain: some humor really does translate. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The stars of Boo and Baa in a Party Mood (whom PW called "an endearing pair of wide-eyed lambs") are back in Boo and Baa Have Company by Lena and Olof Landstrom, trans. by Joan Sandin. A stranded cat in a treetop inspires a comical adventure. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Boo and Baa, two small sheep, are raking leaves when they discover a cat stuck up a tree. In their attempt to lure it down, Boo gets stuck instead. Ultimately he gets down, and the cat gets back up, so they leave it an escape route and go to bed. The final spread shows Boo and Baa in their beds, and the cat asleep on the carpet. The text, only a few lines per page, is so spare that it verges on being stilted, but it is this very restraint that imbues it with humor. The story is likely to tickle youngsters' funny bones. The Landstr?ms use bold outlines to depict the two appealing little lambs with large eyes and very expressive faces. The illustrations vary in size and page layout, which adds both motion and visual appeal and enhances the minimalist text. While not an essential purchase, this enjoyable autumn tale will certainly find an audience with preschoolers and early readers alike.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, 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
(Preschool) This Swedish team's droll sensibilities are on display here, in a substantially larger format than the previous board-book-like Boo and Baa titles. When, one leaf-raking autumn day, the noodle-headed sheep try to rescue a cat from a tree, comical misadventures ensue. Boo climbs a ladder to reach the cat; meanwhile, it's escaped on a plank leading to an upper-story window. Baa makes five kinds of sandwiches for the stranded Boo and sends them up. When Baa tries to lower him down on a rope: ""'Help!' Baa is lighter than Boo. She hasn't eaten any sandwiches."" A full-page illustration shows Boo in goggle-eyed freefall while Baa rockets upward, holding on for dear life. The larger format means more space for the pictures and the comic possibilities thereof (see the clueless Baa pondering why their wheelbarrow should meow instead of squeak; see just the eyes and whiskers of the cat as it watches avidly from the top edge of the page), but the text remains as brief as ever, often just one pithy sentence per page or illustration panel. In the satisfying but slightly quirky ending, the sheep decide to leave the window open in case the cat (now back in the tree) wants to come in: ""It's nice with all the fresh air. Boo and Baa are sleeping like logs."" And what good company they've been. (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
Thank goodness: Swedish sheep Boo and Baa make their return to America after a six-year absence. This time they have yard work to do. They've raked the leaves, but they find that the wheelbarrow squeaks. After they oil it, it seems to meow. The smiling, wide-eyed duo discover a cat trapped in their tree. Sardines won't lure it down. They can't get it to cross a plank to the upstairs window. Boo attempts a rescue only to get stuck in the tree himself. When Baa tries to save him, they both end up flying through the air. Good thing that huge pile of leaves is there to break their fall. Preschoolers will love spotting the cat before Boo and Baa, and they'll laugh out loud at the slapstick rescue attempts. Bright watercolor illustrations and a sprightly translation, not to mention the full-sized format, make this perfect for story times. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
