Give Me Back My Book!

July 10, 2017
Bloo, a blue rabbit (drawn by Long), catches Redd, a shaggy red monster (drawn by Foster), reading Bloo’s book. A barrage of accusations and denials ensues, but readers will surmise that Redd is indeed trying to pull a fast one on Bloo. Their tussling gives a third character, Bookworm, the opportunity to swipe the book for herself. Now united, Bloo and Red cook up a plot to trap Bookworm by creating a decoy book (“The illustrations will make her eyes explode!” says Bloo), which turns out to be as much fun as reading. The crisp animation-style cartooning, punctuated with photographic objects, has a freewheeling verve that lifts the story beyond an exercise in gainsaying. But what makes it truly touching is the love that Boo, Redd, and Earthworm have for the book—not just as a transporter of imaginations but as a physical object. As the larcenous Redd notes: “I cannot part with my green book. It has a hard cover, a nice spine, the pages turn from right to left... and, if you are adventurous, from left to right.” Ages 3–5. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management.

September 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2-Bloo and Redd simply love their book. It has everything-a green cover, a nice spine, and pages that turn from right to left (or left to right if you're adventurous.) But what they can't agree upon is who owns it! When their favorite book ends up snatched by a bookworm, Bloo and Redd must work together to write their own book to get it back. Playing with the "meta-picture book" subgenre, Long and Foster have added a funny and fresh story with several teachable moments. On the surface it's a simple tale about sharing and the joy of reading, but with Redd describing the different components of a book, and the two then using that information to create their own volume, this is a wonderful teaching tool for either a creative writing or an introductory language arts lesson. The two characters play off of each other well, and the large dialogue balloons matched with the cartoonish character design with no background scenery will please the many fans of "Elephant and Piggie." VERDICT Not to be missed-give me this book!-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

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