Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Being a narrator should be straightforward: introduce and situate the main character ("Once upon a time there was a panda who lived in a beautiful bamboo grove"), set the dramatic tension in motion ("But the panda had a BIG problem"), and solve the problem-end of story. But what happens when the protagonist refuses to play along? "Looks like you're the one with the problem, buddy," says Panda, who won't offer up so much as a sore paw to drive the narrative forward. The bear soon wrests control of the meta-comedy ("Maybe YOU are the main character and I am YOUR problem!") and introduces a jelly bean rain, purple puffball aliens, a second panda, and a trip to Antarctica ("This is fiction. Anything can happen!" a penguin observes). The embattled narrator may start yearning for stories that are about "nice, quiet rocks," but readers will gleefully embrace the anarchy that Underwood's (Interstellar Cinderella) supremely silly repartee has unleashed. Marks, making her U.S. picture book debut, is an able accomplice, offering tightly composed and choreographed cartooning that feels appropriately chaotic. Ages 3-7. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator's agency: Astound US Agency. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Once upon a time, there was a panda who lived in a beautiful bamboo grove. But the panda had a BIG problem. Except, as this panda informs the (offstage) narrator, I dont have any problems. Despite the narrators insistence that the panda needs a problem to solve because thats how stories work, the panda negates every suggestion and instead proposes to the narrator that maybe YOU are the main character and I am YOUR problem! Uh-oh. Things devolve from there as the panda humorously hijacks the story with bad music, jelly-bean rain, fluffy purple aliens, and Antarctic penguins. Whats the narrator to do with such an uncooperative protagonist? Simple: wait patiently until the panda has a hunger problem (THERES NO BAMBOO IN ANTARCTICA!!!). The books kid-friendly design clearly distinguishes between the narrators traditionally formatted text and the pandas speech-bubble dialogue, while plentiful white space makes the action easy to follow. The digitally created illustrations are visually appealing, and Marks complements Underwoods cheeky wit with expressive facial expressions (especially on an adorable spider and the aforementioned aliens). While the premise may be silly, Underwoods latest meta tale (Here Comes the Easter Cat, rev. 3/14; etc.) creatively explains storytelling fundamentals, slyly defining plot, setting, and characters as the panda upends the norms. Now, thanks to the pandas shenanigans, readers will be story experts, too. cynthia k. ritter (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
What if the main character took over the storytelling from the narrator?The (presumably adult) narrator begins the story of a panda who has a "BIG problem," but the panda protagonist (represented opposite the narration) loudly disagrees. Panda goes on to explain that they have no problems: Their view from atop the bamboo tree is great, there's plenty to eat, and the day is sunny. When the narrator explains to the panda that they are the main character and that they need to overcome a problem, because "that's how stories work," the panda suggests that they become the problem instead! The panda then begins a series of activities to frustrate the narrator, ranging from the merely obnoxious (playing the banjo really badly) to downright outrageous (introducing a second, equally problematic panda into the story). This metafictive picture book's success lies in the creation of two distinct voices, which makes the exchange of dialogue possible. The voices can be told apart by the difference in type: The narritorial text is set in formal black typeface that denotes a sense of authority, and the panda responds through hand-lettered speech bubbles. Master of meta Underwood's (Here Comes the Easter Cat, 2014, etc.) witty narrative and Marks' cute, colored-pencil illustrations come together to create a comical struggle for control between a narrator and their rebellious creation.Highly entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
