The Traveling Dustball

February 15, 2019
Chores become fun via an enormous flying dustball and word nerdery. Bespectacled Davey is sweeping under the couch. When he enlists his dog's grudging help to dispose of a sizable dustball, a gust of wind takes the two up, up, and away on a grand adventure to Italy, Hawaii, China, and Switzerland. Along with sending the pair to a new location, each chapter also introduces a "big word," such as "irksome," "brouhaha," "lollygagging," "collywobbles," and "phenomenon." As in series opener The Missing Donut (2018), colorful beings called Sprinklers pop in to alert the reader before any "big word" is introduced ("Big word coming. BIG!"). Their leader, the Sprinkle Fairy, adds idiom-filled commentary. The repetitive formula, which smartly deviates in the final chapter to combine all the "big words" into a humorous skit, will indeed introduce readers who have some confidence already to new words. The quirky cartoon illustrations have ample white space, but readers unfamiliar with comics conventions may find the layout hard to follow without panels and speech bubbles. Additionally, the globe-trotting sequences rely on visual stereotypes to convey the locations (for example, the Swiss characters wear lederhosen and dirndls, and the Italians carry plates of spaghetti and meatballs; the depiction of an elderly Chinese man avoids facial stereotypes, however). Davey has brown skin and black hair; the Sprinkle Fairy presents white.A dustball of fun for fairly fluent readers. (Early reader. 5-8)

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August 23, 2019

K-Gr 2-In this series, young readers are introduced to a "big" word in each chapter and then are provided with the definition and pronunciation of said word. These stories center around Davey and his dog Abigail who find a magical dustball that transports them to far away lands. In one chapter, Abigail has an upset stomach so Davey travels to China to get some tea to alleviate her collywobbles, which is defined as a sore or upset tummy. In another story, the duo arrives in Switzerland where a new cheese shop has opened up and the locals are enraged at the offensive smell of one of the cheeses. After they all sample it, they realize that while the cheese smells putrid, it tastes divine and the word phenomenon is defined. Other words covered are brouhaha, lollygagging and irksome. McBeth's cartoon illustrations are engaging but the rhythm of the book is off. VERDICT The words are indeed large and fun to say but are of such an esoteric variety (how many people use the term collywobbles?) that it isn't clear that the book is a good fit for young readers. An optional purchase if you are looking for something different to put on your shelves.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI

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