Even More Parts
by Tedd Arnold
Published 2004 by Dial Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0803729383

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Jacket Notes:

Arnold's funniest book yet reintroduces the nervous hero from "Parts" and "More Parts" while also depicting more than 100 body-part idioms. Kids won't be able to keep a straight face as they enjoy this clever, wacky, boldly illustrated book. Full color.

01/01/2005 REVIEW: School Library Journal

Gr 1-3 -The boy from Parts (1997) and More Parts (2001, both Dial) returns. Here, he is preparing to go to school. Each page features a phrase that includes an idiom, along with a humorous illustration of the child literally living up to that particular expression. For example, for "I lost my head," the headless youngster wanders around with arms outstretched looking for his missing body part, which is partially concealed behind a chair. Along the bottom of the page, his toys illustrate additional figures of speech ("It makes my head spin," "I laughed my head off," "My head is in the clouds"). Created with colored pencils and watercolor washes, the bright, manic artwork features pop-eyed characters drawn with a loose, squiggly line. The rhyming, which has always been a weak point in the books, is kept to a minimum while the chaos is kept at the previous high level. Arnold's art manages to keep the gross-out factor reasonable while producing plenty of laughs. Even libraries without the first two titles will find this a fun choice for sharing aloud and for tempting independent readers.-Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha's Public Library, WI

Under the Bed
by Paul Bright
Published 2004 by Good Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 1561484369

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Jacket Notes:

Wildly entertaining without being alarming, Under the Bed will send your wary child to bed giggling. The book's crazy collection of worried creatures are scared--not scary--and your child will know it's true. Boisterous. Brilliantly colorful. Hairy green, spiney red, warty and winged, these monsters flee the bedroom when they discover the child. But not before they've stirred a mild rumpus--and prepared a child for deep, sweet sleep.

08/01/2004 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS -In this book about nighttime worries, a rhyming text describes a variety of creatures that live under a little boy's bed, ranging from "bugs--¦ gobbling" and "squabbling" to "a dragon dozing" to a monster "bigger than a stable door,/Horrible, hairy, with warts on his nose,/With knots in his tail, and mold on his toes." Children are assured that all of these beasts are too busy, sleepy, or lazy to bother with them. In fact, the critters are frightened of something inside the bed, and after they run off one by one, readers discover that it is the boy they are afraid of. The amusing illustrations are large and brightly colored. The bugs have huge teeth, horns, spiked tails, and scary expressions but are smaller than a tennis shoe. Cort makes good use of perspective, showing a frightened monster (who sucks his thumb and holds a teddy bear) as very small and insignificant on one spread, while the boy's smiling face engulfs an entire page. The size and placement of the text effectively reflect the emotion and action of the story. This is a good choice for preschoolers worried about sleeping in their own beds. Pair it with Mercer Mayer's There's Something in My Attic (Dial, 1988) or James Howe's There's a Monster under My Bed (Atheneum, 1986) for a funny and fear-free storyhour.-Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA

Thank You, Grandpa
by Lynn Plourde
Published 2003 by Dutton Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0525469923

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Jacket Notes:

By turns playful and poignant, this glowing picture book portrays the tender relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter as they appreciate nature together over the years. Full color.

04/01/2003 REVIEW: School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-This attractive picture book offers a heartfelt tribute to the love between a grandparent and grandchild as well as a way of coping with grief and loss. The story line is simple and episodic, focusing on small wonders and affectionate interactions. Beginning when she's just a toddler, a child shares quiet times with her grandfather. As they walk together, they admire dandelions, spider webs, and fireflies. The man answers all of her questions and teaches her to appreciate the natural world. He also shows her how to say "thank you and good-bye" to the dead insects and small creatures they occasionally find in their explorations. This gentle lesson comforts the girl when the time comes to say a final good-bye to her beloved relative. Plourde's thoughtful text and Cockcroft's expressive paintings work well together to convey both a respect for life and an awareness of the power of love. Soft, light-filled illustrations celebrate the pastoral setting, while the realistic portraits bring the child and her grandfather to life. Cockcroft does a particularly good job of conveying the passage of time, both in the growth of the child and in the more gradual change in the grandfather's appearance. Snippets of dialogue enliven the text and balance the serious subject matter. Parents looking for a way to introduce this difficult topic will appreciate the sensitive story, but it's possible that even browsers who aren't seeking this specific subject will appreciate this unusual picture book.-Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA

Overboard!
by Sarah Weeks
Published 2006 by Harcourt Children's Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0152050469

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Jacket Notes:

Sweet little baby bunny is as cute as can be, but soon he's throwing everything in his crib overboard. Charming rhythmic text and sweet appealing illustrations come together in a book that mischievous toddlers will want to read again and again. Full color.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 03/27/2006

Weeks (Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash ) and Williams (No More Diapers for Ducky! , reviewed above) demonstrate a toddler's seemingly endless fascination with what happens when anything is tossed over the side of, well, everything. This chipper, well-observed book catalogues a host of possible variations on the theme. As Bunny launches aerial bombardments from a highchair, crib, bathtub, stroller and other familiar vantage points, Weeks's rhymes savor the havoc wreaked with every toss, as in this mealtime example: "Drippy, slippy-slidey peaches/ Peachy peaches, nice and fat./ Peaches going.../ overboard!/ Peaches, peaches,/ splat! splat! splat!" Williams's bright saturated colors, charcoal outlines, distilled and cozily familiar compositions as well as an adorable hero or heroine (with an equally charming mouse sidekick) ensure that every fling bubbles with mischievous fun (in one spread, Bunny gives a rubber ducky a fond embrace, then hurls it across the bathroom). The book's ebullience does take a break for one moment of figurative gravity-when the long-eared protagonist becomes determined to toss a toy elephant from the top of a precipitous-looking set of stairs: "Bunny overboard-/ Oh my!/ Good thing Mama's/ right close by." One suspects this vignette was included to assuage grown-ups who spend 95% of their waking hours cleaning up after their overboard-o-philes-a figure, by the way, that is likely to rise to 100% once the kids get hold of this charmer. Ages 2-5.(Mar.)

04/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS -This book celebrates the great joy toddlers have in tossing or pulling things -overboard!- With a thick black line and solid expanses of vibrant color-be it orange, green, or fuchsia-the illustrations are animated and energetic. A mischievous duo, a bunny and a mouse, are giddy instigators, cheering as they send a bowl of peaches flying, -splat! splat! splat!- off of the highchair, or as the rubber ducky gets flung out of the tub. Then there's the backpack that's pulled off the table, resulting in a rewarding picnic lunch on the floor and the book that's pushed off the shelf, causing a mess of spilled paint. All of the fun progresses without reprimands but, fortunately, Mama is nearby when bunny goes overboard off the steps. Then it's off to bed but not before one last exuberant, -overboard!- The large, uncluttered illustrations on backgrounds of solid color create the energy while the rhyming text sets the stage for the persistent antics of bunny and mouse. This book is meant to be read aloud with gleeful audience participation each time the page is turned with another delight-filled exclamation.-Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI