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Byrne, Richard
6 Reviews
(3)
K-3
When some sticks of color chalk return to the spot where they had drawn flowers, they find the blooms gone. They draw replacement flowers that even a (chalk) fence can't protect from the poacher. Who keeps "stealing" their drawings? (Answer: An eraser.) The book's concept is ingeniously executed--e.g., multicolored squiggles on black pages show how "the chalks chased the robber."
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(3)
PS
Elphie the elephant is tired of being last in line just because he is the littlest. He enlists readers' help to cleverly trick the bigger elephants and move up to the front of the line: "Now can you make a loud hissing noise?" This fourth-wall-breaking story is an easy crowd pleaser, and Bryne's bright, cartoony illustrations are inviting.
Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear
(2)
K-3
Something goes awry with the remote to Ben's new fire truck: it's actually controlling Bella's dog instead. Trying to correct the situation only lands all three of them on the ceiling. As in We're in the Wrong Book! and This Book Just Ate My Dog!, this book's bright art, combined with the interactive text and design, invites readers to get involved physically with the story.
Reviewer: Julie Roach
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2016
(3)
K-3
Bella and Ben's dog bumps them out of their book and into another. They wend their way through the spreads of a counting book, comics, a puzzle book, a folk tale, an instruction manual, and others in an effort to get back. Byrne's second meta jaunt (This Book Just Ate My Dog) could serve as a clever introduction to book genres and illustration styles.
Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden
(2)
K-3
Bella's dog disappears into this book's gutter, and each offer of help (from a boy, the police, the fire brigade) also disappears. "I'll just have to sort this out myself," Bella says and follows everyone into the gutter. A note invites readers to get involved: a few shakes releases the victims, and all is (mostly) well. Cartoon illustrations and a succinct text build dramatic humor.
Reviewer: Julie Roach
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2015
(3)
K-3
Busy trying to intimidate little dino Jackson and take away all his jelly beans, a boastful and bullying dinosaur fails to notice Jackson's even bigger friend. Mistaking that huge dinosaur's mouth for a cave, the greedy show-off quickly learns the value of sharing. The likable wide-eyed dinosaurs come to a satisfying and non-threatening resolution in this relatable braggart's tale.
Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden
6 reviews
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