Review by Booklist Review
A determined, white-haired lady hauls young Arlo out of his baseball-themed bedroom and off to the art museum, though he is clearly reluctant to go. But as she leads him through the galleries, lecturing about museum manners and art appreciation, Arlo begins to notice unexpected elements in the paintings and sculptures. These surprises are revealed by the viewer, who lifts the flaps over certain artworks to show what's beneath. A Mondrian-like geometric painting morphs into a tic-tac-toe board with a monkey playing the game. A placid seascape changes when a shark lunges from the water and past the frame toward Arlo. Leaving the museum, the now-cheerful boy is even optimistic about good times at the opera (surprise!), tomorrow's cultural expedition. Written entirely in speech-balloon dialogue, the text works well as a framework for the sometimes surprising, sometimes amusing visual reveals in the stylized, cartoonlike ink-and-wash illustrations. With 50 flaps to lift, there's plenty of room for interactive play and discussion. Fun for sharing one on one.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Baseball-loving Arlo accompanies his grandmother to the museum, where flaps open to reveal the art acting in all sorts of surprisingly goofy ways. The fascinated child behaves well, so Grandma promises him another outing-a trip to the opera. While the humorously subversive behavior of the artwork is a treat, it is based on the unfortunate premise that art museums are stuffy and boring. Grandma is blind to what Arlo sees, preaching a serious adult point of view throughout their trip with statements like, "They [pieces of art] need to be studied carefully to appreciate their beauty." While adults may argue that Arlo is taking Grandma's words to heart and looking at the art through an engaged imagination, kids will likely think that the paintings are magically coming to life for his eyes only. The cartoon artwork is clean and stylized, working well in the museum setting. Fifty cleverly designed flaps transform individual works and sometimes neighboring pieces as well; some flaps help the subjects to reach beyond their frames to interact with Arlo. The final multiflap construct advertising the opera has an awkward moment in which the interim picture doesn't make sense (it combines the tops of armchairs and the legs of opera-goers) but this is a minor quibble. Fully unfolded, the scene is quite exciting, and Arlo's own flap opens to reveal him shouting "Hooray!" at the prospect of attending. This title is best used with children already exposed to the "culture is boring" myth-after all, why dampen the enthusiasm of those untainted by that message?-Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL (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.
