Review by Booklist Review
Having rudely rejected six-legged Buggy's offer of assistance, hyper Horse plunges into painting a mural. What with having no clue how to start, not to mention a real proclivity for spilling and stepping into buckets of paint, Horse gets nowhere until Buggy finally drags in a drop cloth to catch the drips and helps Horse sketch a picture of flowers to transfer to the wall. Next to such mess-terpieces as Karen Beaumont's I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! (2005), illustrated by David Catrow, or any of Stephen Gammell's work, Horse's rather tidy spatters and splatters look unconvincing, but emergent readers will get the point that projects tend to go better with a bit of advance planning, and, as with this pop-eyed pair's first outing, Dance, Dance, Dance! (2018), they will chuckle at the visual contrast between Buggy's restrained, low-key presence and Horse's extravagant capers and gestures. The all-dialogue narrative is non-gender-specific; the art less so long-eyelashed Buggy has a somewhat feminine presence.--John Peters Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--Horse and Buggy are back. In this outing, Horse is going to paint a mural, and he's going to do it his way. He is wearing an artist's beret, so what could possibly go wrong? Despite Buggy's helpful suggestions, he is convinced that he doesn't need a plan. Of course, a huge mess ensues with paint everywhere and culminates with Horse slipping and landing flat on his back. "Buggy? Can you help me?" Yes, Buggy can (and does) with his four-point mural painting plan. The result is a colorful mural of flowers. And oh, the colors -- Long does not stint on them. The changing backgrounds go from greens and blues to orange and yellows, which are the perfect base for the blue, yellow, purple, and orange paint that Horse manages to get everywhere. Using panels, spreads, speech bubbles, and various fonts, Long keeps readers engaged and the story moving along. The humor is accented by the facial expressions of Horse and Buggy. VERDICT In the style made popular by the Mo Willems's "Elephant and Piggie" books, Horse and Buggy eventually work together to paint a lovely mural. It also works surprisingly well as a primer on how (and how not) to paint a mural.--Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The irrepressible horse first met in Dance, Dance, Dance (2018) is at it againjumping in before thinking through the consequences.This time Horse has decided to paint a mural. Sporting a jaunty artist's beret, Horse proceeds to make a mess. Buggy patiently and courteously offers suggestions, which Horse politely but adamantly refuses. Finally, splattered with purple paint and after slipping in a puddle of yellow, Horse sheepishly accepts Buggy's advice. Following Buggy's planning tips, Horse finally paints a successful mural. All this could come across as quite pedantic, but Long's loose cartoon illustrations of Horse's exuberant painting style keep the message light. Horse wields the paintbrush with hooves or jauntily holds it between clenched teeth. Horse's posture and facial expression reflect enthusiasm, frustration, and ultimate delight. Children who have been given the freedom to paint without planning will appreciate Horse's dilemma. Buggy's neutral tone and patience make for a good model for caregivers or teachers (though they may be tempted to add cautionary language when Buggy says, "Draw your picture on the wall!"). The cartoon panels with speech bubbles, picture-book trim, and vocabulary of fewer than 80 words used repeatedly make this sequel ideal for children just beginning to read on their own. Younger children will have no problem reading the pictures.Sure to inspire some enthusiastic painting. (Early reader. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
