Review by Booklist Review
Introduced in Ira Crumb Makes a Pretty Good Friend (2017), Ira and Malcolm love being together. When they have a disagreement about an activity, however, Malcolm plays with other children, and Ira is left alone. Sad, upset, and crying, Ira resists all attempts people use to make him feel better. Demonstrating an understanding of how children cannot always identify or reconcile their emotional responses, this funny story offers some methods of coping, such as dancing or talking to a friend, and throws in large bursts of humor to keep readers engaged. Malcolm eventually returns, and as the two tell silly jokes, including groan-worthy puns and some gross-out humor, their friendship is affirmed and the story ends on a positive note. Cheerful, bright cartoon illustrations counterbalance the exploration of sad feelings and add audience appeal. Ira is a brown-skinned human, while blue-green Malcolm has long ears and a large nose more like a dog or rabbit. Other groups include a turtle, bird, and pickle who all move and speak like people. This lighthearted title is sweetly full of feeling.--Lucinda Whitehurst Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
Ira (human) and Malcolm (anthropomorphic dog) are good friends. But when Malcolm gets all the credit for inventing the game of tag, Ira's feelings are hurt. Eventually, the friends figure out together that sadness is more tolerable with company. An emotionally genuine picture book made eye-catching and entertaining with bold colors, plenty of silliness, and cartoon elements such as speech bubbles. (c) Copyright 2019. 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
Two irreverent friends navigate the cutthroat world of playground politics in this hilarious picture book about feeling sad.Ira Crumb, a brown-skinned boy, and Malcolm Cake, a blue dog, are back with humor, friendship, and a shared love of pickles (Ira Crumb Makes a Pretty Good Friend, 2017). On a trip to the playground, the two double over with laughter as they tell a knock-knock joke, but the fun takes a turn when Ira wants to play hide-and-seek but Malcolm wants to play tag. When all their new playground chums prefer Malcolm's game, Ira finds that his "feelings are feeling feelings." Ira even passes up a joyful dance-a-thon as he delves deeper into the abyss of his emotions. The dance-a-thon participants try to cheer Ira up, and even his surroundings try to lighten his mood, but Ira does not want to be distracted from his grief. When Malcolm sees how sad Ira is, he has a novel ideawhy don't they be sad together! This brings Ira right out of his funk, and the two bond over fart jokes. This beckons the offense of an actual fart, depicted as a green cloud adorned with a top hat and single spectacle. Nothing can bring two friends together like a classy fart joke! The illustrations are bright and colorful, and the playful use of speech bubbles adds motion and zeal.Being sad has never seemed funnier. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
