Review by New York Times Review
A sock monkey is the titular character in this tale of boy, cat and toy. Working with his wife, Eileen, who makes her picture book debut, Marc Rosenthal places hugely appealing retro-cartoon illustrations against a spare backdrop. As boy and cat tussle over Bobo, fundamental preschooler emotions - desire, fear, frustration, despair - will play for appreciative giggles. ELMER AND THE RAINBOW Written and illustrated by David McKee. Unpaged. Andersen Press USA. $16.95. (Picture book; ages 4 to 9) Elmer the out-of-the-ordinary patchwork elephant, a paragon of diversity for the preschool set and a major star in Europe, shines in a new tale of munificence and collaboration. Here, Elmer aims to give his own colors to an inexplicably colorless rainbow. With its conflict-free resolution, "Elmer" serves as a kind of antidote to the controversial "Rainbow Fish," in which a multihued fish is loath to share. Generosity, in Elmer's world, is not a zero-sum game. THE TROUBLE WITH CHICKENS A J.J. Tully Mystery. By Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Kevin Cornell. 119 pp. Balzer & Bray. $14.99. (Middle grade; ages 8 to 12) Spot-on humor and a clever story ensure this latest from Cronin will be a favorite among middle-grade readers. The plot thickens as the hero, J.J. Tully, a former search-and-rescue dog with the world-weary voice of a retired P.I., confronts a family of chickens and an "inside" dog, Vince. Trouble indeed, sweetheart - but worth it. AMELIA LOST The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart. By Candace Fleming. Illustrated. 118 pp. Schwartz & Wade Books. $18.99. (Middle grade; ages 8 to 12) Black-and-white photographs and elegant typography give this gorgeously produced book an appropriate period feel, while alternating chapters - one set following Earhart from childhood, the other tracking her final flight - provide historical context as well as vivid pacing. But though Fleming allows Earhart her glamorous due, she also strips her of myth, giving readers the accuracy they deserve. BLESS THIS MOUSE By Lois Lowry. Illustrated by Eric Rohmann. 152 pp. Houghton Mifflin. $15.99. (Middle grade; ages 9 to 12) Lowry, a two-time Newbery medalist, offers a winning fable about a parish of church mice. "Bless This Mouse" feels like an old-timey classic, but Mouse Mistress Hildegarde, though devout and resolute in caring for her wards, casually mentions "X-rated DVDs" (not that she would watch) and calls her nemesis a liar. No church lady, she. DEADLY By Julie Chibbaro. Illustrated. 293 pp. Atheneum. $16.99. (Young adult; ages 12 and up) Paced like a medical thriller, "Deadly" is the rare Y.A. novel in which a girl's intellectual interests trump adolescent romance. A 16-year-old Jewish tenement dweller in 1906 New York pines away days at a finishing school on scholarship and nights helping midwife young mothers. When she quits school to assist the Department of Health and Sanitation in its pursuit of "Typhoid Mary," she is awakened to nascent opportunities for women in science.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [March 13, 2011]
Review by Booklist Review
Knuffle Bunny, move over. There's another lost stuffie in town, although this one is not so much lost as stolen. When Willy wakes up, he freaks out. Bobo is gone, and if there's one thing Willy needs, it's his monkey, Bobo. After reciting the reasons why, he spots a monkey tail, and sure enough, there's Bobo under his covers with Earl, the gray cat. Earl seems to need Bobo as much as Willy does, because whenever the boy is the least bit distracted, Earl is grabbing Bobo's tail and dragging him off. Although this is a one-joke story, it's told with such an honest grip on a child's world and emotions, and illustrated so cleverly, that there's plenty of sustainability. Little ones will also enjoy finding Earl on the buff-colored pages. Willy, Earl, and Bobo are the only colorful spots in the art, but that doesn't mean it won't take readers a bit of looking to find the gray cat, who has plenty of expressions mad, surprised, sly for such a simply drawn feline. This will resonate, and it's cute as all get-out.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Eileen Rosenthal's first children's book, Willy, a small boy, and Earl, the family cat, battle over Bobo, Willy's treasured sock monkey. Earl is always sneaking off with Bobo, and illustrator Marc Rosenthal's (Phooey!) ability to capture Earl's feline deviousness-the way Earl cranes his neck to see if Willy is coming, or hides under the covers with Bobo-is one of the book's chief charms. Another is the contrast between the complicated things Willy pretends Bobo can do and the way Bobo hangs limply from Willy's arms, a passive participant in the boy's plans. "Bobo helps me with everything," Willy says; he bends over and prods a black bug with a stick. "Bobo, is that a bitey-bug?" he asks. But Bobo, under Willy's arm, simply wears that rigid stuffed animal expression every reader will recognize. In the end, Willy finds Earl curled up in an armchair with Bobo and curls himself around them ("Here's my Bobo," he says contentedly); Earl's sideways glance shows that the story won't end there. Soft pencil drawings on cream-colored pages add to the generally calm, bedtime atmosphere. Ages 3-6. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-"When Willy woke up, there was trouble." His favorite, do-everything-with sock monkey is missing. But Willy isn't the only one who thinks Bobo should always be by his side. Earl, a mischievous gray feline, waits in the background and snatches Bobo away at the most opportune moments. Kids who spend hours hunting for their favorite toy will relate to the boy's endless skirmishes with Earl. Willy's frustration, clearly decipherable from his facial expressions, is juxtaposed with the cat's impassive, innocent face, with the exception of a few over-the-top anthropomorphized expressions. Told in Willy's genuine preschool voice, the story also encompasses a hunt-and-find element, as readers can search for Bobo with Willy in the illustrations. Pencil drawings, digitally colored, are set against cream-colored pages, giving the tale a muted, calm feeling despite the infuriated laments of a foiled little boy. It is clear this battle will continue long after the story ends. An excellent choice for bedtime or storytime.-Richelle Roth, Boone County Public Library, KY (c) Copyright 2011. 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
Willy needs his stuffed monkey, Bobo, to get through the day. So, too, apparently, does cat Earl, who keeps snatching the coveted toy. Readers can easily sympathize with Willy (and perhaps also with Earl), as the determined preschooler searches for Bobo again and again. Uncluttered illustrations feature simple pencil outlines, with digitally colored hues that highlight the main characters. (c) Copyright 2011. 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
Willy, the protagonist of this small domestic drama, is perfectly, appropriately self-absorbed, as he is barely out of toddlerhood and, as his monologue reveals, he relies on his sock monkey, Bobo, to help him negotiate the challenges of being so young. Bobo helps him, specifically, to confront dubious, possibly "bitey" bugs, go down the playground slide and walk past large dogs (friendly doggy smiles notwithstanding). Digitally colored and boldly lined pencil cartoons against cream-yellow background space put Willy and his feline housemate Earl (who has a marvelously blank, inscrutably entitled cat face) firmly in the forefront of the story. Earl likes Bobo, too! When Willy loses track of Bobo, his search grows anxious: Could Bobo have been stolen by pirates? Or...Earl? Small listeners may recognize themselves in the worn-out, napping boy, curled up with his arm around both Bobo and Earlbut some will also sympathize with Earl's relentless, devoted recapturing of Bobo (clearly a shared prize in this household). Hilarious for adult readers; an exercise in self-recognition and empathy for the intended audience. (Picture book. 18 mos.-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
