Review by Booklist Review
A bird instructs other animals to line up single file, although readers (and most of the animals) are clueless about why they are queuing. Ohmura depicts, identifies, and numbers each animal, from #50 Frog to #1 Elephant. Ordered from smallest to largest, many make fidgety comments: What's this line for? What? You don't know? After a patient wait, the goal is finally disclosed a jumbo coaster ride on the back of a whale. In a revealing gatefold, readers see each animal lined up from the whale's snout to tail, and subsequent spreads depict the ride's stomach-churning acrobatics and delighted passengers. Ohmura employs a white background with a black lower edge on which the vividly colored animals stand, while numbers and labels underneath each creature aid in identification. This is a tale rich with opportunities for learning. Preschoolers will enjoy counting, noting relative sizes, and naming the animals; slightly older children will appreciate reading the witty repartee and solving the mystery. This makes a great choice for STEM story hours.--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Is there anything more tedious than waiting in line? Luckily for the 50 animals in the line of this book's title, something pretty great awaits them at the end. Each animal is labeled by name and number; #50 is a tiny green frog, preceded by a lizard, mouse, and mole. As often happens in line, small conversations pop up: "What's this line for?" asks a weasel. "What, you don't know?" replies a hedgehog. As the animals increase in size, Ohmura provides occasional food chain-based humor. "Please keep the line moving!" chirps a gray bird that flits across the pages trying to maintain order. "But I'm scared," says a worried-looking sheep, #23. A page turn reveals why: #22 is a drooling wolf. The answer to the big question is provided in a foldout spread, and the animal it involves needs all four pages to fit. It's a whimsical and witty tour of the animal kingdom, one that even includes an idea or two (like word games) to help children pass the time when they're stuck waiting at the grocery story or amusement park. Ages 3-7. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Fifty animals stand in a line waiting for. . .what? "It looks like something is about to start," promises the title page, and readers must wait alongside the single-file animals and guess at what lies ahead. Mini-dramas unfold along the line as the animals try to pass the time: Raccoon and Fox have a jumping contest, Zebra is sweating bullets in between Lion and Tiger, Armadillo is none too happy to be placed behind Skunk, and so on. The animals stand roughly in size order and they get larger as the pages progress, slowing the countdown and amplifying the suspense. Ohmura frequently ends spreads with just the tail of the next animal, encouraging a guessing game, so that when #1 (Elephant) finally arrives, poised to step onto some sort of watercraft, the page-turn reveal is especially satisfying. And then, at last, all the animals are off for a wild ride (depicted in a double gatefold) on the Jumbo Coaster -- a humpback whale who takes them through a splashy routine of flips and jumps. The illustrations are simple and bright, rendered in saturated colors and outlined with thick black brushstrokes against ample white space. Ohmura keeps the focus on each expressive animal, with faces and body language conveying a wide range of emotions. This Japanese import supports concept learning on multiple levels, from counting and animals (including predator-prey relationships) to delayed gratification, and the wealth of storytelling detail on each double-page spread rewards repeat viewing. But in the end, that's all gravy: this book is fun. Who wouldn't want a ride on this whale of a good time? claire e. gross (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
If the line is long, there's bound to be something good at the end, right? The tale starts opposite the title page with a small frog, marked #50, looking up at a sign that requests "Please line up in single file." Turn the page, and animals #49, lizard, through #37, porcupine, stand politely, clearly wondering what's at the front of the line. As the numbers decrease, the size of the animals increases: #4 is hippo. Turn the page after #1, elephant, to a gatefold sign: JUMBO COASTER. Open the gatefold, and all of the animals are revealed standing in order on top of a whale as it performs a series of jumps and somersaults in and out of the water! Their ride ends just like a more conventional carnival ride, with various reactions: #3, the rhino, declares, "I'm getting back in line!" Humorous comments add to the fun throughout. The armadillo, #39, stuck behind the skunk, #38, complains, "It stinks!" The kangaroo, #19, has a baby in her pouch that cries, "Are we there yet?" Totally engaging, the book offers multiple forms of participation: the word chain game that #17, the panda, starts; counting; guessing which animal belongs to the tail that appears at the edge of the page on the right (revealed seamlessly with a page turn); size concept; good old anticipation. It's a whale of a fun ride! (Picture book. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
