Hocus Pocus

Kirkus Reviews (June 15, 2011)


Insouciant bunny meets slow-witted bulldog in this nearly wordless romp. No sooner do Mr. Magic the magician and his canine sidekick stretch out for a snooze than a blue rabbit hops from the top hat on the nearby bureau. A bucket of veggies in the adjacent kitchen looks enticing--but there's a problem: how to get past the sleeping dog? Very simply drawn and colored in an angular retro style, the figures in Simard's unframed sequential panels display cartoonishly exaggerated expressions. These are perfectly suited to a chase that begins with the crunch of a stepped-on peanut and escalates into a kitchen free-for-all in which spilled milk and sprayed ketchup play major roles. Sound effects and speech bubbles that often contain nothing but single images or punctuation marks give a handy assist: "FLUMP!"; "[light bulb]"; "PBBTTTHH!"; "!?" In the end the bunny gets its carrot, and the poor dog definitely comes off second best. Like a classic Looney Tunes cartoon on paper, it's all quick action and hilarious slapstick. (Picture book. 4-6)

Willie and Uncle Bill

Booklist (April 15, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 16))


Grades K-3. By dividing her picture book into vignettes, Schwartz succeeds in making the three relatively low-key episodes feel like something much greater: the proof of a genuine, long-lasting relationship between a little boy and his unflappable Uncle Bill. Each tale starts with Bill showing up to babysit his nephew Willie—but from there, results vary. First, Willie takes a scissors to his head, necessitating a late-night trip to the flamboyant uncle’s favorite salon, Hair—by Pierre. Bill’s reaction to Willie’s new buzz? “It’s very . . . Now.” The second story involves cooking a revolting concoction called Icky Stew, which is refused by every human and animal, until some seagulls take a liking. The final, and best, story illustrates how Bill—and adults like him—truly understand what strikes the fancy of kids. Bored, Bill takes his nephew to watch a rock band he knows rehearse in their garage. Yep, pretty awesome. Schwartz’s finely lined and candy-colored gouache art give things a sprightly feel, which perfectly matches the clear, though happily unstated, affection the two characters share for each other.

What To Do If An Elephant Stands On Your Foot

Kirkus Reviews (May 15, 2012)


The moral of this tongue-in-cheek instruction book is, Don't Startle the Elephant. If, in the course of your explorations, an elephant stands on your foot, "keep calm," lest you rouse the tiger, and then the rhino, snakes and crocodiles, requiring a rescue by monkeys. Our intrepid explorer (outfitted with safari vest, adventurer's hat and binoculars) has one misadventure after another in this effective collaboration between words and pictures. Sharp-eyed readers will see the problems coming even before the reveal of the page turn. The narrator, whose helpful advice appears in the white above the cartoon-like illustrations, is not above saying "[t]old you so" and "don't say I didn't warn you." While adults may want to remind the creators there are no tigers on the African savanna, the apparent setting for this romp--why not a leopard or a lion?--children will happily go along with the story's silliness. Reynolds' traveler bears a strong resemblance to his rendition of Judy Moody. His Horton-like elephant is particularly appealing, his tiger and alligators especially toothy, and the monkeys downright manic. The humor of these watercolor drawings fits the exaggeration of the storyline nicely. When the ending suggests that the story is starting over, listeners will be happy to hear it again. This is Robinson's first published picture book, but others are in the pipeline. A promising launch. (Picture book. 4-8)

Mr. Zinger's Hat

Booklist (October 1, 2012 (Vol. 109, No. 3))


Grades K-2. Every child needs a Mr. Zinger—and his hat!—in his or her life. A contemplative, self-contained writer who wears a big black hat on his thought-gathering walks, Mr. Zinger nevertheless has time for Leo when the child’s ball misfires and sends the hat sailing. Recovering from the encounter, the kind man engages the child by asking what kind of story the retrieved hat holds. Collaborating on the tale, Mr. Zinger helps Leo use his imagination to create the story-within-a-story about a prince and a ball—both of which seem awfully familiar. Petricic’s illustrations change from loose, soft watercolors to sharply defined cartoon drawings when the two enter the realm of their shared fiction. When the dreamy washes resume, Mr. Zinger continues along his walk, while Leo pays forward the storytelling hat trick to a new playmate, this time with his own baseball cap. This book oh-so-softly brings across a sweet, multigenerational message about sharing the power of imagination.

The Emerald Atlas

School Library Journal (June 1, 2011)


Gr 4-8-Kate, 14, 12-year-old Michael, and 11-year-old Emma have lived in 12 different orphanages during the decade since their parents' mysterious disappearance. Kate tries to care for her brother and sister as she promised her mother, but this gets harder when they are sent to a new orphanage directed by Dr. Stanislaus Pym and find that they are the only children in his remote mansion. When they explore the home, they discover a magical door that reveals a hidden study, where they find a magic book that allows them to travel through time. The action escalates as the girls try to rescue Michael, who is stranded in the past, and develops after the children learn the history of the Atlas and its connection to their lives. As they try to find the book in the past, they meet brash and humorous dwarves, a powerful warrior, and a younger Dr. Pym, as well as an evil witch who is also seeking the Atlas. Unfolding magic and secrets deepen the story and build excitement as it reaches its complex and time-bending climax. The siblings have a realistic and appealing relationship, including rivalry and bickering that hides their underlying deep loyalty to one another. Echoes of other popular fantasy series, from "Harry Potter" to the "Narnia" books, are easily found, but debut author Stephens has created a new and appealing read that will leave readers looking forward to the next volumes in this projected trilogy.-Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Heroes In Training

School Library Journal (October 1, 2012)


Gr 2-4-This funny chapter book retells the story of Zeus, Cronus, and the Olympians. Many kids will already be familiar with Cronus, King of the Titans, who swallows his children so that they might never steal his throne. Zeus, the youngest of the Olympians, is smuggled out to a mountaintop sanctuary, and it is from this haven that he is kidnapped by some hungry, none-too-bright giants. Along their journey to Cronus, Zeus, who has always heard voices foretelling some great destiny, is helped by a number of mythological creatures. The voices and some strange clues he finds along the way lead him to think that the Olympians trapped inside Cronus are the key to his survival, even though he doesn't know the truth about who they are. This is a fun read, casting Zeus in the role of relatable kid, and there is a nice balance between his primary goal of survival and his sense of destiny and adventure. Drawings throughout illustrate particularly dramatic scenes, but for the most part, Zeus and his world are left to readers' imaginations. The story ends with him freeing the Olympians, who he is surprised to find are kids like himself. He agrees to travel with these new friends to find the rest of the Olympians, setting up the future of the series nicely. Share this title, and likely more to come, with those still too young for Percy Jackson's adventures.-Heather Talty, formerly at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Clueless McGee

Booklist (October 1, 2012 (Online))


Grades 4-6. Clueless and wimpy may not be exact synonyms, but it’s pretty clear that this effort, by an accomplished picture-book creator, is intended as a Jeff Kinney read-alike for ravenous middle-grade boys—and in that it’s successful. PJ McGee, the perpetually sans-clue protagonist, imagines himself a ninja-spy and writes chapter-long letters documenting his daily adventures to his absent father, who he believes is off on a secret mission, although world-wise readers may suspect otherwise. Nobody else sees PJ as being as cool as he does—not his needy sister, an evil bully, his annoyed mother, or the “frog-smacking” principal—but one day, the mac and cheese goes missing from the cafeteria, and he pitches in to help solve the mystery. There are many fifth-grade hurdles in his way, from extrasticky chewing gum to an extrasweaty band teacher, but all paths eventually lead to the culprit while leaving room for the next title in the new series. Similarities to other titles of this ilk include a handwriting-style font and black-and-white naïve-style line drawings on every page.