Review by Booklist Review
After a car accident (with a giant acorn) leaves Bear in need of a new headlight, he zips around the oversize forest world of Whiskers Hollow, rounding up anthropomorphic animal friends on the way to rummage around Elephant's Old Junk Tree. After some mild mishaps, the gang finds a new car part and, more important, enjoy one another's company--but that's all beside the point. The magic of this book is in its world building. The subtitle gives a hint, which the glorious endpapers turn into a promise, presenting an intricate map of Whiskers Hollow and its dozens of labeled locales, most set within the hollowed trunks of massive trees. There's a fun mid-twentieth-century flavor to the designs, established through clothing, furnishings, and technology, especially Bear's red 1940s Chevy pickup, and Light--as always--works absolute wonders in the stunningly detailed line work of his trademark fountain pens, shaded in with soft watercolors. Children poring over his art will fall entirely into Whiskers Hollow and make stories of their own as they await future adventures in this absorbing universe.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Light (Black Bird Yellow Sun) does some whimsical world-building in welcoming readers to Whiskers Hollow, where the animals are avid motorists and the roadways are huge tree branches. Scale is comically skewed: Bear, the protagonist, front-ends his pink pickup truck into a ginormous acorn, thus necessitating a road trip to find a replacement headlight. Along for the ride are snack-obsessed Rabbit and anxious Mouse, and junk connoisseur Donkey leads the caravan to Elephant's Old Junk Tree. In Light's beautifully wielded pen, ink, and gouache, the vehicles defy gravity as they zoom along the route, which includes a massively gnarled tree trunk and a tunnel of thorns straight out of a Dürer woodcut. A headlight is eventually obtained, but not before the friends goof around on a massive junk pile (another image that nods to the textures of classical printmaking), do some pratfalls into a mud puddle, and receive an impromptu shower courtesy of Elephant's trunk. Along the way, the amiable animals learn what human motorists already know: the bonding shenanigans of a road trip are really the whole point. Ages 2--5. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--2--After a fender bender involving an acorn and his beloved old truck, Bear goes in search of a new headlight. He stops along the way to pick up his friends: snack-obsessed Rabbit, nervous Mouse, and junk-loving Donkey, who leads the way to Elephant's Old Junk Tree, where they hope to find a replacement light. The miniature friends, who vary in size only slightly, zoom around tree branches, thorny tunnels, and rickety bridges made of twigs. The delightfully detailed pen, ink and gouache illustrations depict the inside of each animal's elaborate tree trunk home, rendered in muted earth tones. Light brings his gift for intricate drawings to this diminutive forest setting, which will delight young readers who take pleasure in examining each spread. The story, while simple, will appeal to young readers who will enjoy getting transported to a friendly miniature community reminiscent of Richard Scarry's animal worlds. With cadence, repetition, and slightly elevated language, this has all the trappings of a beginning reader, without the chapter breakdowns. Intricate maps detailing the Whisker's Hollow Community on the endpapers suggest more stories from this charming animal village are to come. VERDICT A near-perfect story that invites children to look at the pages and make connections.--Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood P.L., MA
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Review by Horn Book Review
Bear is out for a drive in his pink pickup truck when he has a slight accident -- he hits an acorn blocking the tree limb he's driving along. (The book's setting is the woodlands community of Whiskers Hollow, and all the animal characters are miniature.) Bear recruits friends Rabbit, Mouse, and Donkey to accompany him on a road trip to Elephant's Old Junk Tree to find a new headlight for the damaged truck. A small but absorbing adventure ensues involving rickety bridges, snacks, dark tunnels, a tower of junk, more snacks, a huge mud puddle -- and a very child-pleasing way to get cleaned up. Light's book has a distinct Arthur Geisert vibe, with etching-like illustrations full of enticing and humorous detail, such as the furnishings of the characters' homes inside hollow trees or stumps. Rabbit is always on the lookout for something to eat, and that house contains an empty refrigerator; homebody Mouse's abode features a cozy fireplace and armchair; adventurous Donkey's yard is scattered with all kinds of gadgets and vehicles. Endpapers provide a map of Whiskers Hollow, helping young viewers place the various locales of the story and follow the trajectory of the friends' (ultimately successful) journey. Martha V. Parravano March/April 2021 p.63(c) Copyright 2021. 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.
