Sloppy Joe

June 22, 2009
“Mom says I’m the first kid in history to take a school picture with gum stuck in his hair. You can barely notice.” Keane’s (Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain
) opening lines, and the accompanying photo of disheveled Joe with a large wad of bubble gum on his head, clue readers in to this book’s humorous tone—at once understated and hyperbolic—from the outset. Brunkus’s (Junie B. Jones series) bustling art provides bountiful evidence of Joe’s sloppiness: food flies and milk spills as he shovels cereal into his mouth (wearing goggles for protection). But his effortless messiness (“I slurp, spill, slouch, talk with my mouth full, and put my elbows on the table without even trying”) has its downside: his friend’s mom refuses to let Joe—with a frog sticking out of his pocket and a puddle of mud under his sneakers—inside (“But I wiped my feet!” he laments). When his entire family comes down with the flu, his attempts to morph into Neat Joe and make soup have expectedly comedic results. From start to finish, this is good, not-so-clean fun. Ages 4–7.

September 1, 2009
K-Gr 2-Joe is a sloppy kid. He seems always to be surrounded by messiness and chaos. His grandparents lay newspaper under his chair when he eats with them. His pet frogs turn up in unexpected places. And adults are continually trying to clean him up, straighten his clothes, and improve his posture. But Joe's family loves him as he is. He tries to become neat with some limited success, and when his parents and siblings come down with the flu, he springs into action, bringing them socks topped off with ice cubes for their foreheads, filling the air with germ spray, and entertaining them with his corny jokes as they lie prostrate on the sofa. The illustrations are hilarious. This charming picture book is a wonderful choice for most libraries."Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.