Publishers Weekly Review
The mischievous antics of a teddy bear and his stuffed friends draw the attention of the police in this raucous story, the first children's book from adult author Dunn (How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids). Addressing readers directly, one of two police officers on hand reconstructs the crime scene: "As near as we can figure, the party started shortly after you left for school," the female officer explains. She goes on to delineate how-among other things-the teddy bear and some two dozen stuffed friends broke the bed jumping on it, drew all over the walls, "pour[ed] bubble bath all over the floor for a sliding contest," and threw a dance party, complete with 100 balloons. Energetic digital artwork by Nash (Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp) captures the toys' unleashed joy as they make the most of their unsupervised freedom. The officer lets the bear off with a scolding, but his wink on the final page suggest that he's far from reformed. With Dunn and Nash as guides, readers will revel in the vicarious, rule-breaking fun. Ages 3-7. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. |
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-This picture book frames the misbehavior of a rambunctious teddy bear with two police officers responding to noise complaints from angry neighbors. As near as the officers can tell, the ruckus started shortly after the bear's owner left for school. Teddy called their friends' stuffed animals and invited them over for pancakes, drawing on the walls, a bubble bath sliding contest, and a dance party. Ultimately, the teddy bear is too cute and inspires too much nostalgia for the officers to take him to the station like a hardened criminal and he is let go with a warning, although readers will not have much reason to hope he will mend his naughty ways. The two police officers, a black woman and a white man, are most often depicted against a white background, in contrast to the colorful and chaotic representations of the stuffed animal party. The pages are crowded with a variety of stuffed animal characters including rabbits, elephants, and tigers, and the spreads represent a visual game of I Spy. VERDICT A humorous tale of stuffed animal mayhem that will entertain early elementary students and provide a fun read-aloud for younger children.-Kelly Topita, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |