Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Bella, her dog, and her friend Ben are back in another interactive picture book. Ben wants to show Bella his new remote-control fire truck. When he presses the various buttons, the fire truck does nothing. However, Bella's dog is flung, spins, and even speaks. Working together with the help of readers, Ben, Bella, and the pooch are able to set things right. The final page is a letter to readers testing whether they paid attention to the havoc the remote caused. As he did with This Book Just Ate My Dog! and We're in the Wrong Book!, Byrne breaks the fourth wall and engages children with giggles and prompts. He continues his habit of using the book's gutter, this time as the wall separating the inside of Bella's home from the outside. The artwork beautifully downplays the background, allowing the hilarious chaos to be front and center. VERDICT An excellent addition to interactive or book-themed storytimes.-Shana Morales, Windsor Public Library, CT © Copyright 2016. 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
Ben, Bella, and Bellas dog star in a new book -- which is no better behaved than the previous ones (Were in the Wrong Book!; This Book Just Ate My Dog, rev. 1/15). This time Ben comes over to Bellas house to show her his new remote-control fire truck. Unfortunately something has gone awry with the remote: each time Ben presses a button, nothing seemed to happen. The books gutter marks the doorway between inside and outdoors, and when Bella crosses over to the right-hand page and goes outside to check out the truck, she leaves her dog inside on the left-hand page. This enables readers to notice long before Bella and Ben do that the remote is actually controlling Bellas dog instead of the fire truck. Bellas dog reacts to SPIN, SIREN, and VOICE (HELP! This book is out of control! says the dog), which finally draws Bella and Ben back inside. They try to correct the situation, but that only lands all three of them on the ceiling, no longer able to reach the remote at all. At this point, the reader needs to help. After some nonsensical (and somewhat confusing) trial and error, everything sorts out, Bellas dog takes control of the remote, and the fire truck responds appropriately. As in the previous titles, the books bright art, combined with the interactive text and design, invites readers to get involved physically with the story. The final page encourages readers to press the remotes REPEAT button (the only button that hasnt yet been pushed) and read the book again. julie roach (c) Copyright 2016. 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
The act of reading a picture book has never gotten so out of control. When Bella and Ben attempt to play with a remote-control fire truck, playtime goes awryfirst for Bellas big, spotted dog and then for the main characters themselves. Before long, things are upside down, sideways, switched around, and out of control, and the only way to fix everything is for readers to press the proper buttons to get the book that they are reading back under control. The remote, which is almost as large as the characters and contains simple directional buttons, such as up, down, spin, and squirt (!), will be irresistible to tiny fingers. Bold red text conveys a sense of mildyet excitingalarm and will keep readers on the edges of their seats, just waiting for the book to get out of control. Minimalist backgrounds and pages splattered with bright colors keep readers eyes trained solely on the story; however, the bright palette does not distract from the books absence of characters of colorBella and Ben both appear to be white. The book concludes with a challenge, inviting readers to figure out which button hasnt yet been pressed. Once readers figure it out, they will undoubtedly want to read the book all over again. Its finally OK for kids to press buttons! This interactive story will empower, educate, and entertain young readers who are on the path to independent reading. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
