Buddy and Earl and the Great Big Baby

Starred review from July 4, 2016
In their third outing, Buddy the dog and Earl the hedgehog contend with a new arrival when a friend comes to visit with her baby. After the toddler wreaks havoc in the house, they are less than impressed: “Babies are not small and adorable,” wails Earl. “They are large and horrible!” But when the baby escapes its “cage” (playpen), Earl’s disdain turns to concern. Older siblings who are intimately familiar with baby-related chaos will be in stitches over Earl’s imagined worst-case scenarios (“The baby could be in Meredith’s room trying to swim across a swamp full of poisonous snakes!”) as the animals race to save a day that doesn’t actually need saving. Ages 4–7.

Starred review from June 15, 2016
Buddy and Earl--dog and hedgehog, respectively--experience life's most peculiar phenomenon: a baby.Buddy and Earl engage in a child's-eye-level Q-and-A when they hear that Mrs. Cunningham is coming for a visit and bringing her "adorable" baby. "So! What's a baby?" Earl asks. Do you drive it around, plug it in, eat it? Buddy explains: no, no, no. They are small, eat things off the floor, and sometimes smell very interesting. The baby arrives--it's the kind that already walks--and proceeds to commit quiet mayhem, going so far as to play with (eat, really) Buddy's and Earl's toys and food before being put down for a nap. "I'm glad she put you in your cage," notes Earl. The baby breaks out and toddles off. Earl is beside himself. Maybe the baby will encounter poisonous snakes or bubbling lava or stampeding dinosaurs. Buddy and Earl find the baby safely washing stuff in the toilet bowl--whew! This story tickles the funny bone raw, and Sookocheff's bare-bones linework and minimal palette keep events immediate. Fergus throws in just enough wry commentary to make readers think and a few vocabulary ringers to really keep them on their feet: "foreboding," "gummy" (as in gums, not Wrigley's). The humans are all white, except when the baby's face turns a deep, tomato red. Earl concludes that babies and dogs have something in common...they both make the world a happier place. Of course. (Picture book. 3-7)

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August 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 2-The mismatched friends are back again in this third tale of good dog Buddy and his mischievous hedgehog pal Earl. The two discover the excitement of having a baby visit their home for the day. Charming illustrations capture the warmth and eagerness of this new houseguest. The gouache artwork's warm hues and bold lines set the tone and help express everyone's curiosities. "'Is a baby something you plug into the wall?' asks Earl. 'Is it something you drive around in?' " Pictures complement the dialogue, with the hedgehog riding around in a wagon or sunbathing in the warmth of a lamp. Buddy and Earl continue to ponder until the moment the baby arrives. They watch in dismay as the baby toddles all over the house, knocking things over, tearing things up, and eating and playing with their food and toys, causing Buddy and Earl to become less than enchanted. Finally, the baby is put down for his nap as Meredith, the little girl, reads to the infant, and at last all is calm. Or is it? This sweet story showcases qualities of friendship, love, and imagination. VERDICT Fans of the first two titles will want to follow Buddy and Earl in this next adventure. Great for fun-filled read-alouds and one-on-one shared readings.-Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI

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