Review by Booklist Review
The very proper Miss Elizabeth Picklepop IV, with her MS in handwriting and PhD in table manners, is providing an equally formal introductory course on manners, for which the reader will receive a certificate upon completion. When she spills a bottle of ink, though, the puddle grows into an amorphous, squelching blob that follows her around and interrupts her lessons by spewing ink with a loud "BLURP!" She proceeds with grace in the face of many indignities until losing her calm and shouting at Blurp to leave, only to begin her final lesson--"How to Be Considerate"--and realize it's time for her to apologize. The story and its artwork are entirely and wonderfully original. Derby's paint-and-photo-collage spreads are somehow both opulent and delightfully gross. And while the book does have genuinely helpful information on introducing oneself, making conversation, and having good table manners--as well as wholesome and heartwarming messaging about forgiveness and compassion--it's all couched beneath a veil of deliciously yucky kid humor. Pair with Rowboat Watkins' Rude Cakes (2015) for another riotous manners lesson.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
As this picture book kicks off, Elizabeth Picklepop IV, a teal-skinned, exorbitantly spectacled doyenne of manners, begins to school readers in the key rules of etiquette. "I will be watching each and every one of you VERY closely. So pay attention," she says, the saucer-like lens of her glasses emitting a bright white glare. But her steely gentility slowly crumbles after she spills a bottle of blue ink, and the resulting stain immediately comes to life. With eager, googly eyes and single-tooth smile, Blurp belches exuberantly, spewing color everywhere and gazing at Ms. Picklepop with an acolyte's devotion. Digitally collaged, panel-framed vignettes chronicle Ms. Picklepop's subsequent attempts to continue her lesson while ignoring Blurp, who changes hues by consuming more pots of ink, eats a snooty cat (later regurgitated), turns itself into a whoopie cushion, and burps in multiple colors. "ENOUGH!!! You are RUINING everything!!!" Ms. Picklepop finally shouts, before realizing that she has violated etiquette's cardinal rule: consideration of others. Derby (How to Have a Birthday) breathes fresh air into familiar comedy tropes and "practice kindness" messaging, while anchoring the book's unleashed sense of color and character in a core truth: there is nothing more wonderful than being treated with respect. Ages 3--6. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Dec.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--4--Bespectacled Ms. Picklepop has several lessons on manners to impart to readers, a stand-in for her student. Soon after she begins her first lesson on "How to properly introduce yourself," however, a strange blue blob enters the picture and interrupts the lesson. She interacts with readers to ignore the interruption, but the blob is soon revealed to be a creature who can't help but disrupt every lesson with a loud sound and messy splashes of color. The creature, whose name is Mr. Blurp, is mostly noisy and causes a huge mess; however, its behavior ranges from troublesome, knocking Ms. Picklepop down, to perhaps frightening, when it eats a neighbor's pet. Human and creature eventually get along; after all Ms. Picklepop's final lesson is to "Be considerate." The illustrations, a combination of collaged photographs, colorful drawings, and "splattering ink and watercolor from across the room" (according to the publisher's information) miss the mark and tend to distract from, rather than enhance the humor in the story. Compounding this is that the book runs long. Humans are depicted with blue or green skin. VERDICT Though kids may giggle at the silly dialogue and potty humor, the story never quite comes together.--Sue Morgan
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Etiquette expert Elizabeth Picklepop IV's mettle is tested when her Introduction to Manners lesson goes from bad to worse to very undignified. An accidental splatter of blue paint morphs into a well-meaning but impulsive creature with Technicolor digestive issues. Ms. Picklepop tries valiantly to ignore Blurp's disruptions, managing to keep calm and carry on even after Blurp guzzles first red then yellow paint and the ensuing projectile blurps cast a colorful spray all over our bespectacled hostess and her ornately decorated manor house. Derby's (Two Many Birds, rev. 1/21) vibrant illustrations were made with images from "1950s home decor magazines, using digital tools, and splattering ink and watercolor from across a room." Every page is a feast of visual humor, whether the quirkily illustrated characters are part of crisp photo-collaged scenes or coated in Blurp's paint splatter. Ms. Picklepop finally loses her composure after a particularly humiliating faux pas (imagine a paint-filled whoopie cushion that sticks to one's derriere) and then attempts to salvage the situation with a lesson on being considerate...but it's not very considerate to yell at someone, is it? An apology and formal introductions (including Ms. Picklepop's tension-diffusing malapropism) set things back on track. This crowd-pleaser is sure to be enthusiastically if not politely received. Kitty FlynnMarch/April 2023 p.45 (c) Copyright 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 are manners without kindness? Or, for that matter, fart jokes? Meet Ms. Elizabeth Picklepop IV. You are delighted to make her acquaintance. After taking her course on manners, readers will receive a certificate of completion. However, when blue-skinned Ms. Picklepop happens to drop an errant paint can, it results in an overly enthusiastic blue blot with eyes that becomes sentient. Every lesson Ms. Picklepop attempts to convey has the unfortunate consequence of attracting the attention of the creature, named Blurp (changing colors with every paint can they chug en route). Though well-intentioned and good-natured, Blurp causes massive paint-splotch--riddled chaos wherever they go, until finally Picklepop can take it no longer and becomes significantly less than well-mannered. Will she see the error of her ways? Derby's natural inclination to play with paint like a child in a mud puddle comes fully to her aid here. Picklepop's world is all hedgerows and elegant teas. The sheer, wild exuberance of Blurp comes, then, as a cathartic corrective. The great irony of the tale, of course, is that at the same time that Blurp is instigating a visual cacophony of colors, their manners are impeccable, if riddled with B's (upon introducing themselves, Blurp says, "Bits bice boo beet boo"). (This book was reviewed digitally.) Emily Post might raise an eyebrow, but our hero is bound to find fast friends with ill-mannered readers everywhere. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
