Bounce

March 5, 2007
In this charming follow-up to Wiggle
, Cronin, Menchin and their doggie hero guide readers in life lessons as a series of literal ups and downs. "If you bounce into a puddle
," the chipper canine says as he leaps off a lamppost à la Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain
, "it's best to bounce in boots
." The author completes the rhyme on the following spread, which finds the pooch with a spring in his step in the produce department: "If you must
bounce in the market,/ it's best not
to bounce in fruits!" Parents will appreciate the words of caution when bouncing gets out of hand ("Bouncing with your best friend
is called a bouncing double./ Bouncing on the couch is called big
bouncing trouble
"; Menchin shows the two airborne with only the couch's back visible, then tumbling to the floor with only the furniture's feet showing). The artist works in bold ink outlines and bright, even digital colors, and uses whimsical photographic images here and there for comic punctuation. Cronin and Menchin build to a bravura finish, with an allusion to love: "A bounce can turn into a bump
,/ a bump into a fall
./ But it's better to have bounced
and bumped
.../ than never
to have bounced at all!" (the long-eared hero sports a plethora of bandages, but also a wistful smile). Readers young and old will likely enjoy bouncing through these pages. Ages 1-4.

March 15, 2007
The creators of " Wiggle" (2005) once again pair an action word (in this case " bounce") with joyful pictures filled with movement to encourage kids and adults to join in. The sounds of the words ("hip-hop") with funny rhymes ("ker-plop") and the bright cartoon illustrations, defined by thick black lines and surrounded by lots of space, move from very simple activities to comical scenarios that stretch across several pages: "A bounce can turn into a jump, a bump into a fall. / But it's better to have bounced and bumped . . . than never to have bounced at all!" The final accompanying picture shows a proud dog sporting multiple bandages. The interactive elements here will bring very young children and books together.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)