Who's There?

Booklist (May 15, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 18))
Preschool-Grade 1. For little BunBun, going to bed isn’t a problem—after all, he and his rabbit family live in the coziest little warren beneath a lovely Pooh-style tree. It’s that once he is snuggled in with his teddy bear, Boo, the anxiety begins: “Creak, creak, crinch, crinch, crinch, thwack-a-wack!” An ominous noise is coming from the hallway, and each time it gets closer and louder. The nonsense words Schaefer creates to communicate the noises are only part of the fun. Between each set of sounds, BunBun imagines the various monsters who might be approaching. It could be a Crusty Dumply Ogre (a pig in sandals) or a Grimy Gooey Ghoulie (a dog with a runny nose) or even a Splitch-kah-doo-mee Grabber (a rat with extendable mechanized arms). As rendered in Morgan’s ink-and-gouache artwork, none of these beasties are the least bit frightening, which makes this a solid everything-is-OK title to soothe panicked youngsters. The ultimate revelation—that it’s just his kid brother trailing a pull-toy—reaffirms the comforting status quo.

How To Get A Job By Me, The Boss

Publishers Weekly (June 27, 2011)
The wise-beyond-her-years heroine who addressed the finer points of getting married and having a baby in her previous books now tackles the job market. "[S]ometimes a Job is so you can get all dressed up and wear your new shoes to work," she explains. The narrator covers big jobs (like "President of the World") and small jobs (like "Balloon Holder") alike, and is highly encouraging ("You could be a Cowboy or an Explorer.... Or actually anything you want!"), while giving a nod to a few exceptions ("you shouldn't be a Robber"). Heap's acrylic, paint, and crayon illustrations are as energetic and quirky as the Boss herself, whose charmingly askew perspective includes some genuine advice-and remains as funny as ever. Ages 4-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A Ball For Daisy

Horn Book (September/October, 2011)
The wordless story begins on the title page, where we see a scruffy little black-and-white dog about to be given a big red ball. It's clear from the start that Daisy loves her new toy. After playing with it inside, she cuddles up with the ball on the sofa and contentedly falls asleep. The real drama begins with a trip to the park, where Daisy and her little-girl owner play catch and have a moment of panic when the ball goes over a fence and has to be rescued. All goes well until another dog shows up, joins in the play, and pops the ball. It's a long walk home with gloomy Daisy, and the subsequent nap on the couch is lonely. In fact, the two contrasting double-page spreads of Daisy napping, with the ball and without it, show the ingenious artistry of Raschka, who communicates so much emotion through her posture. Throughout, Raschka uses broad strokes of gray and black paint to outline the dog, and varies the line to echo her emotions: bold, sure lines when Daisy is happy; shaky, squiggly lines when she is upset. Background watercolor washes also reflect Daisy's mood, going from bright yellows and greens to somber purples and browns. Raschka employs a series of horizontal frames to show sequential action, interspersed with occasional single paintings to show pivotal moments, such as the moment near the end of the book when Daisy gets a brand-new ball, this time a blue one, from the owner of the dog who destroyed her first one. It's a satisfying conclusion to a story that is noteworthy for both its artistry and its child appeal. kathleen t. horning

Smells Like Treasure

Booklist (May 1, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 17))
Grades 4-7. After Homer Winslow Pudding receives an invitation from the secret society of Legends, Objects, Secrets, and Treasures (LOST) to occupy his recently deceased uncle Drake’s vacant chair in this sequel to Smells like Dog (2010), the 12-year-old and his basset hound, Dog (who has a keen sense for sniffing out treasure but nothing else), skip the local county fair to meet with the world’s most elite treasure hunters. When Lorelei, Homer’s nemesis turned friend turned nemesis, reappears to challenge Homer’s stake in LOST, the young treasure hunters must compete to find Uncle Drake’s membership coin, using clues from the greatest mapmaker ever. Periodically interrupting their search is background information on Rumpold Smeller, the once future Duke of Estonia who turned to piracy and whose lost treasure remains the holy grail for treasure hunters. As in the first novel, quirky side characters and over-the-top humor hold reader interest even during slow points. Unfulfilled discoveries leave the scent of another sequel.

Born Yesterday The Diary of a Young Journalist

Kirkus Review (January 15, 2010)
If we could hear the thoughts of an infant, we might not be surprised by the sardonic and precocious voice of this newborn's year-long diary. Solheim's cartoons in ink-and-watercolor vignettes provide humorous images of this hyperobservant baby's discovery of everything from a tantalizing crib mobile to hands that can grab, feet that can be sucked, food that can be flung and the notion that "the up end of people is their hairstyles and the down end is their tootsie-wootsies." Yet the best discovery of this aspiring new author is how crying or laughing can alter communication--especially when a big sister's love makes her the best friend "For Ever." Older siblings with a sense of how a new baby can change the dynamics of a family may appreciate this baby's adjustment to life while recognizing that younger brothers or sisters can be the most admiring and supportive of friends. (Picture book. 5-8)

One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street

Kirkus Review starred (March 1, 2011)
Does the arrival of a mysterious man in a green car presage a miracle on Orange Street? Does the orange cone in front of the empty lot where the last majestic orange tree stood mean trouble? The tree was rooted in the lives of four kids. Bunny, age nine, has OCD and worries every time her mother flies. Leandra lives at 301 above the garage with her grandparents because her mother is pregnant. Ali has a toddler brother who has stopped talking after a hospital stay. Lonely Robert is a chubby would-be magician with a crush on Ali. The segments of their lives cluster around the orange tree that holds secrets in the dirt, shelters hummingbird nests and provides California shade. There's also Manny, the dreadlocked nanny for Ali's brother, and Ms. Snoops, whose memory is like a lacy antimacassar, with holes. Unfolding in one day's time, the story recounts how secrets are revealed, curiosity is satisfied and wishing becomes hope because the spirit and ties of friendship and community are resilient and strong. Fully realized characters and setting definitely make this one morning on Orange Street amazing. (Fiction. 8-11)

Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break if You Want to Survive

Booklist (July 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 21))
Grades K-3. The unfortunate among us recall the carnivalesque horrors of entering a school bus for the first time: the creaking bat-wing of the door, the towering driver, the jungle of bizarre and unfriendly faces. Grandits sums up the traumatic experience quite neatly in this surreal take on the reputation (and reality) of riding the bus. Kyle’s older brother, James, is the source of the frightening list of do-or-die rules. Never sit in the first row. Never sit in the back row. Never make eye contact. Never touch anyone’s stuff. Each threat receives a delirious acrylic illustration from Austin that turns everything—trees, chairs, people—into wild malformations that slouch as if constructed of Play-Doh. The surly big kid looks like a wolf, the bus itself has horns, and so on. Naturally, Kyle breaks all 10 rules in a single day, which leads him to concoct Rule 11: ignore your brother’s rules. With its decent amount of text, this skews slightly older, though its topic, of course, is perfect for anyone dealing with the Big Yellow Monster.