Bonaparte Falls Apart

June 26, 2017
The duo behind Skeleton for Dinner returns with the story of Bonaparte, a young skeleton who “was falling to pieces, and this really shook him up.” With Bonaparte’s limbs detaching at inopportune moments, his friends devise plans to help him keep it together. But Franky Stein’s glue-and-screws approach renders Bonaparte immobile, Blacky Widow’s efforts get Bonaparte tangled up in her web, and Mummicula’s snug wrap leaves Bonaparte unable to see. The eventual solution: a puglike puppy, whose bone-retrieving skills are just what the cadaver ordered. Cuyler’s readaloud-friendly narration is loaded with bone puns and makes good use of repetition and rhyme (“So Mummicula wrapped and strapped and strapped and wrapped”), and Terry creates an impish monster cast in moody scenes textured with intricate cross-hatching. With pratfalls aplenty, it’s an amusing reminder that small accommodations and the support of friends can help any kid succeed. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary.

June 1, 2017
An elementary-age skeleton is afraid he won't be able to maintain structural integrity at school. Bonaparte, a friendly-looking skeleton with an oversized skull and red ball cap, has a problem: he just can't keep it together--literally. Even such an apparently low-impact activity as a visit to the doctor results in a lost limb when his reflexes are tested. Worse than the inconvenience is the fact that it is sometimes very hard to find those lost bits. Bonaparte asks his pals for help. Franky Stein tries to bolt and glue him together, but he's too stiff to walk. Blacky Widow spins a web around him, but then he's hopelessly tangled. Mummicula wraps him securely, but then Bonaparte can't see. But when his friends spy a dog running by with a bone in his mouth, they realize he can be trained to retrieve Bonaparte's fallen parts. Mandible proves to be both an invaluable help and a hit with all the kids. Terry's illustrations feature frankly adorable monsters, large heads and eyes combining with very small mouths to make them look as harmless and childlike as possible (though Blacky Widow's fangs are still rather prominent). He positions his characters in vignettes on white space; when more-complicated backgrounds are introduced, they are rendered in muted colors. Both an entertaining spin on back-to-school jitters and an unusual look at service dogs. (Picture book. 4-8)

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September 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2-Whenever he engages in even the mildest of activities, Bonaparte, a skeleton boy sporting a red baseball cap, loses an appendage. Adding to his distress about living with missing parts, the boy worries that classmates will make fun of him when he starts school. His monster friends try to help. Franky Stein glues and screws him together, but then Bonaparte can't move. Blacky Widow spins a web around him, but that just traps him in tangles. When Mummicula wraps him up, Bonaparte can't see. Nothing works until his pals see a dog run by with a bone in his mouth, and hit on the idea of training him to retrieve Bonaparte's bones. The dog, named Mandible by his new owner, turns out to be a fetching champ. Now whether it's on the ball field or in science class, Bonaparte is a huge hit at school. Wordplay such as the monster and dog names and Bonaparte's declaration that his companions are "bone-a-fide-friends" enliven the text. Terry's illustrations, executed in a muted palette and filled with cross-hatching, appear on white ground. His monsters are kid-friendly renderings with large, googly eyes. Several pictures contain humorous touches as well: furniture covered in a web pattern, bushes that appear as grinning fishlike creatures, a pumpkin house, and teeth flying across the cafeteria. VERDICT A read-aloud choice that will resonate with youngsters experiencing their own fears of starting school. This tale would make a welcome addition to a fun Halloween storytime as well.-Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA

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