The Farm Team
by Linda Bailey
Published 2006 by Kids Can Press

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781553378501

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11/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1 -In this rollicking tale, a hockey team made up of pigs, ducks, and cows takes on the Bush League Bandits, creatures from the wild who have -claws on their fangs and fangs on their claws.- Slavin-s cartoon illustrations, rendered in acrylics, move the story rapidly along. The game gets downright nasty as Needles the porcupine purposely crashes into the goalie, played by Big George the pig wrapped up in bundles of hay for protection, and knocks him out of the game. Not to be discouraged, the Farm Team replaces its goalie with Betty, a cow who is young and solid and fills most of the net standing sideways, only to be outshone by the Bush League placing a grizzly bear in their goal with his hindquarters nearly filling an expansive spread. The surprise ending will bring cheers from the crowd as they ask for repeated readings.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

Dooby Dooby Moo
by Doreen Cronin
Published 2006 by Atheneum Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0689845073

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The remarkably talented "New York Times" bestselling duo of Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin are at it again. At Farmer Brown's, Duck and his friends are pooling their considerable resources to win a local talent show because first prize is a trampoline! The cows and sheep want to sing, but the pigs want to dance. Duck just wants to win the trampoline. Can they all agree?

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 06/19/2006

What do you get when a bunch of farm animals decide to enter a talent contest to win... a trampoline- Sounds like the latest joke at the watercooler, but it's just Cronin and Lewin (ofClick, Clack, Moo fame) at it again, with an off-the-wall tale poised to deliver giggles galore. Here they reprise their bovine beauties crooningà la Sinatra. But they are not the only contestants of the barnyard persuasion: the pigs practice an interpretive dance and Duck belts out his rendition of "Born to Be Wild" in performances sure to amuse young and adult readers alike. While children will enjoy the pure silliness of singing animals alone, older readers will appreciate Cronin's tongue-in-cheek asides, such as the footnote about the trampoline being "slightly used," along with a legal disclaimer. Lewin's expansive brush strokes pay further tribute to this tall tale of animals that sing and dance behind closed barn doors. By story's end, the animals have returned to their regular routines, except for the extra "boing" in their song-whose source comes clear in Lewin's closing image of the animals enjoying the well-earned prize. Fans will hope for many more farmyard adventures from this dynamic duo. Ages 3-7.(Aug.)

08/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

K-Gr 3 -When Duck discovers an ad in the paper announcing a talent show at the county fair (first prize, a slightly used trampoline), Farmer Brown-s animals are unstoppable. The cows and sheep concentrate on their singing while the pigs work on interpretive dance. How the suspicious farmer could ever confuse all this noise with routine snoring is a bit of a stretch, but the hilarious late-night practice scenes inside the barn will help readers make the leap. At the talent show, the cows and sheep impress some of the judges, but lack of sleep has the pigs truly snoring when it is time to perform. Fortunately, Duck steps in to save the day with a winning version of -Born to Be Wild.- After the talent show, Farmer Brown suspects nothing until he hears -boings- coming from the barn. Comical watercolor illustrations provide the punch lines to many jokes within the well-paced text. Some of the sophisticated humor will go over the heads of most children, especially the witty footnotes that pepper the story. However, likeClick, Clack, Moo (2000) andGiggle, Giggle, Quack (2002, both S & S), this story makes a great read-aloud, and fans of the series will be ecstatic to see another episode of mischief in the barnyard.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA

Hedgie Blasts Off!
by Jan Brett
Published 2006 by Putnam Publishing Group

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0399246215

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Jacket Notes:

From the author of "Honey...Honey...Lion!" comes the story of Hedgie, who wants more than anything to be an astronaut and travel into space. He gets his chance the day Big Sparkler, the geyser, starts to sputter and fade, disappointing all the alien tourists. As he launches into space and fixes the geyser problem in a most unusual way, Hedgie returns home a hero.

09/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3 -Hedgie the hedgehog is back. Aspiring to become an astronaut, he works as a member of the cleanup crew for the Star Lab run by the Professor (a dog), who is -the smartest scientist on Earth- and -in charge of Outer Space.- On the tiny planet of Mikkop, an erupting crater called the Big Sparkler, a popular tourist attraction, is inexplicably slowing down. The Professor orders his team to build a small spaceship that can carry a robotic astronaut into space to assess the problem. When the robot malfunctions, Hedgie is the only one who can fit into the vehicle, and off he zooms. Brett-s color illustrations are filled with humorous details, including eager reporters (an owl, a flamingo, a toucan, and a cockatoo, whose postures convey their avid impatience) and whimsical spaceships filled with comical alien tourists. Small groups can easily view the richly hued art, although many scenes merit closer inspection. Children will cheer for this intrepid hedgehog as he solves the problem of the plugged crater.-Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA

Letters from a Desperate Dog
by Eileen Christelow
Published 2006 by Clarion Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780618510030

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Drawn in an accessible comic-book style, and inspired by Christelow's real-life dog, this book about a misunderstood pup is a hilarious take on unconditional love and the importance of finding one's true calling. Full color.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 10/30/2006

Echoes of Mark Teague'sDear Mrs. LaRue resonate in this story of an unappreciated dog who corresponds with a canine advice columnist. "My human is driving me nuts!" thinks Emma, a brown-and-white mutt belonging to a moody artist, George. Stung by George's accusations that she is a bad dog, Emma emails the "Ask Queenie" column at theWeekly Bone , and Queenie writes back, using language usually applied to four-footed types: "Is George a high-strung breed- They can be difficult to live with!... Have you tried licking his hand-" Alas, Emma's well-meaning efforts to placate George's anger go unnoticed due to her klutziness. Christelow (The Great Pig Search) combines conventional expository text, watercolor-and-ink comics panels and hand-drawn voice-bubble dialogue in a manner familiar to readers of Susan Meddaugh's Martha books. Like Martha, Christelow's Emma is eager to please, but George proves difficult to like. "If you don't shape up, I'll take you back to the dog pound!" he yells, banishing poor Emma to the yard. Ultimately, when Emma auditions for a theater company and leaves George without an explanation, Christelow loses control of the plot. The convoluted conclusion-Emma runs away, though not on purpose, and gets George to admit his love-suggests that temperamental family members are not easily taught new tricks. Ages 6-9.(Oct.)

11/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS-K -Emma, a Beagle-like mutt, feels that she is sorely unappreciated and misunderstood by her owner, George, who yells at her for sleeping on the sofa, barking to communicate with the dog next door, and getting into the garbage. The demoralized Emma goes to the library to e-mail the canine advice columnist who writes -Ask Queenie- for theWeekly Bone . Several electronic exchanges result in several suggestions, but George continues to find fault. Queenie then advises getting a job, and Emma auditions for an actor-s role that requires lying on the couch-something she knows she-s good at. Before she can think, she-s whisked out of town with the traveling theater troupe. While she becomes a big star, she can-t help but wonder whether or not her owner misses her. When they are reunited, George-s joy is evident-until Emma manages to lock him out of his truck and chews on his hat. But absence has made the heart grow fonder, and they-ve now agreed to put up with one another. Children will find humor in Emma-s trip to the library to use the computer, identify with her on those days when she can-t seem to do anything right, and experience relief that George loves her no matter what. Colorful, action-filled cartoon art, often featuring several panels per page, accompanies the brief text.-Nancy Silverrod, San Francisco Public Library