Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Felines Ollie and Moon are best friends. Moon likes to play games she's familiar with, but Ollie enjoys trying new things. In a game of dare, he challenges her to "wear a dozen leis all at once!" and she dares him to stand at the side of the road wearing a sign that says, "Honk If I'm Cute!" Ollie is the more enthusiastic of the pair and he never loses heart; he even helps Moon complete her final dare when he realizes that she is afraid to bodysurf in the ocean. The story is told in comic-book format with large panels and dialogue bubbles. The type is easy to read and surrounded by plenty of white space. The boldly colored artwork combines illustration and photographs. This book could serve as an introduction to comic books or simply as a fun alternative to traditional beginning readers.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA (c) Copyright 2013. 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
Feline friends Ollie and Moon play a game of dare until Moon's fears get in the way and Ollie must come to the rescue. Set against photos of Hawaiian land- and seascapes, the humorous cartoon digital art features panel illustrations and speech balloon dialogue. Beginning readers should enjoy this Hawaiian interlude. (c) Copyright 2013. 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
This engaging beginning reader uses comic-book conventions and a Hawaiian setting to invite emergent readers into the story of odd-couple friends Ollie and Moon. Cartoonish cats Ollie and Moon look like they've stepped from an animated television series of their own, but they are original creations for this series. Accompanied by their silent, snail sidekick, Stanley, they play the sunny days away. Ollie likes to try new games, while Moon prefers to consult her many lists to come up with familiar activities. Humor abounds in all scenarios, achieved through narrative text, speech-balloon dialogue and downright goofy pictorial antics. The one major drawback in the book is its lack of artistic cohesion: Backgrounds sometimes employ photographs of lush, Hawaiian beachscapes, which, though consistent with series format, may prove distracting rather than enriching. Mo Willems' work in the Knuffle Bunny picture books avoids such missteps with sepia-toned photographic backdrops that allow the characters to pop out, but in Kredensor's work, the effect of full-color backgrounds is overwhelming. Far more successful are those pictures that have clean, white backgrounds--especially given the need to provide ample resting space for eyes new to decoding text and navigating the dynamic between words and pictures. Nevertheless, the merits of this title will have new readers saying mahalo for a joyful, exuberant friendship story. (Early reader. 6-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
