Surprise!

Starred review from July 23, 2018
Bear, Raccoon, and Squirrel, “friends for a really long time,” decide to enlarge their circle of acquaintances. But empathy clearly isn’t their strong suit, and when other animals reject their overtures (a turtle refuses to come out when Raccoon prods it with a stick—imagine that), they turn their sights on a family that arrives in the woods to camp. Determined to do “something splendid” to woo their potential new pals, the animals plan a party while the humans are away. Raccoon, charged with catering, eats or piles much of the food; Squirrel, the appointed entertainer, unsuccessfully juggles raw eggs; and Bear decorates the tent with ketchup and mustard before making a toothy entrance, pinecone party hats in tow, that sends the surprised family fleeing. The woodsy setting and unaware characters in Hadilaksono’s picture book debut, rendered in digitally finished watercolor and gouache, offer all the fun of a classic farce. And readers needn’t worry about feeling sorry for this socially inept trio—the final scene suggests that they’ll be just “splendid” on their own. Ages 4–8. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

September 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-Bear, Raccoon, and Squirrel are bored. They decide to make new friends. When they see a family of city folk set up camp, they excitedly form a plan to throw a surprise welcome party. When the family leaves camp, the forest trio go through the campers' things to gather food, entertainment, and decorations. Bear decides something is missing so he sets off to get it. When the city folk return, they see their camp ransacked by a raccoon and a squirrel. There's one more surprise in store when Bear returns with party hats (pinecones tied on strings) for everyone. The campers scream in fright and drive off, much to the astonishment of the animals. Watercolor illustrations with gouache textures creatively mimic elements of childish crayon art in the plants and people, as well as in exclamatory text. The compact use of narrative moves the story along at a good pace and complement the busy illustrations full of foliage, food, and mayhem. VERDICT Readers will enjoy this fun perspective on the mischievous and furry camp thieves. A lively choice for storytime sharing.-Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2018
A story about a woodland party that offers a surprise to all the guests!There is an oft-quoted saying that familiarity breeds contempt. Bear, Raccoon, and Squirrel suffer from that dreaded malaise, long-standing pals that they are. It's not so easy to make new friends, they soon discover. So what will save our heroes from ennui? Why, the arrival of unexpected humans from the city, of course! And what would new city friends like? Why, a surprise welcome party, of course! Bear, Raccoon, and Squirrel get right to work on assembling food, entertainment, and decorations, all "splendid," of course. But though the surprise doesn't go as planned--a whole double-page spread proclaiming "SURPRISE!" is indeed unexpected for these urban campers--sometimes that can be the best solution of all for the friends. Watercolor-and-gouache illustrations, finished digitally, perfectly capture the charm and whimsy of this sylvan tale of friendships new and old. Eagle-eyed readers will catch the humorous origins of these party elements, and the comic-book-style speech bubbles add an additional level of humor and drama. The author's decision to include a family of color adds a nice detail of daily diversity to this animal-filled tale.Pine-cone party hats, a camping trip gone awry, and three creative compatriots make for a rollicking read-aloud, perfect for summer campfires. (Picture book. 4-8)

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