Little Boy with a Big Horn

March 1, 2008
K-Gr 2-Ollie, a small child with oversize hair and big glasses, plays the tuba. The only song he knows is an old sea chantey called "Asleep in the Deep." His mother is driven to distraction by his constant practicing. When he takes his horn outside, everyone in the entire community is annoyed, so Ollie retreats to the country, into the middle of an open field. Soon cows gather around him. The farmer claims the playing will sour their milk so Ollie must move on. He walks to the shore where he and his horn get into a boat and row far out to sea. When he gets out among the rocks, he discovers that the bell buoy is not where it should be, and the fog is rolling in. So once again Ollie begins bellowing out his tune and saves a cruise ship from hitting the rocks. The young hero is given a medal and a scholarship to a music school "that is so far from our town that nobody will be disturbed anymore." This title was originally published in 1950, and Yaccarino's new illustrations retain the look of that era. The colors are uniform and flat throughout, and Ollie wears a navy suit with short pants and a bow tie. The illustrator plays with size and perspective; the boy's horn is sometimes larger than buildings. The book is mildly amusing but not an essential purchase."Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2007
Little Ollie, smartly clad in round glasses and a blue suit with matching bow tie, wants to practice his big bass horn; unfortunately, he only knows one song, and everyone in town is sick of it (and the way the nearby animals seem to want to sing along). The only place Ollie can practice is in a rowboat far away from shore, but once he gets there, he sees that thebuoy has drifted away, leaving approaching ships at the mercy of the rocks. With the fog growing thicker, Ollie plays his horn to warna ship away from the rocks?and thetown rewards his bravery with a medal and a scholarship to music school.A Golden Books classic, first published in1950 with illustrations by Aurelius Battaglia, has been updated with Yaccarino's stylish, retro art, full of bright colors, stylized patterns, and unusual perspectives and angles. Little details, such as a butterfly resting on Ollie's horn or the fish jumping out of its bowl, add an element of whimsy. The sound of the horn is cleverly depicted in the text in capital letters that grow larger as the horn grows louder. This version will reintroduce an old favorite to a new audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)