cherryblossommj's Review of Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox

by Matthew Luckhurst

In this humorous twist on a classic tale, Paul Bunyan and his best friend, Babe the Blue Ox, leave life on the farm to work for a logger who pays them with their favorite thing: pancakes! Paul and Babe tromp across the country with the logger, filling valleys with pancake batter (forming the Rocky Mountains) and chasing down pancakes blown away by the wind (creating the Grand Canyon). But when Babe starts to feel sick from eating too many pancakes, the two realize that maybe the farm, with its variety of foods, is really the best place for them after all. The engaging typography and illustrations, combined with the humorous and lighthearted tone, show kids the importance of eating their veggies without giving heavy-handed lessons. An author’s note explains the origins of the Paul Bunyan story. Praise for Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: The Great Pancake Adventure "Cheerful gouache illustrations, which appear to be partly influenced by 1920s animated cartoons and contemporary street art, bounce with energy, driving the story forward as their adventures unfold...The inclusion of colorful, hand-lettered text adds emphasis and acts as a balance to the art." —Kirkus Reviews "Newcomer Luckhurst’s manic gouache artwork and hand-lettered typography grab attention in this pancake-themed twist on the Paul Bunyan legend...The sheer voltage of Luckhurst’s artwork—Robert Neubecker by way of Robert Crumb—makes this a notable debut, one whose boisterous display type lends itself to noisy readalouds." —Publishers Weekly "Luckhurst’s gouache-on-paper artwork is bright and bold, and the text works well as a storytime read-aloud. As one would expect, the author takes the exaggerated and hyperbolic aspects of this tale and uses them to great effect." —School Library Journal "The cartoonlike, folksy gouache-and-paper illustrations are fitting for the larger-than-life story, and the hand-lettered typeface adds extra oomph." —Booklist Awards: RECOMMENDED - Parents' Choice Award Winner, Picture Books New York Public Library’s Children's Books 2012: 100 Books for Reading and Sharing list The Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids & Teens - Spring 2013

Originally posted on Creative Madness Mama.

Read on November 22, 2012 — I own a copy

Fun is definitely a good description for this book. The color choices and illustrations are whimsical and give a neat introduction to a classic folktale. While in my mind I do not really remember much about Paul Bunyan and his blue ox known as Babe I think that this book will be a great introduction for my girls and because of it's fun and vivid personality off the page will stick with them and any other young readers as well.

I love the illustrated words and the font chosen throughout the book. It's whimsical and as I'm also teaching my oldest daughter to read, she loves pointing out the "fun" letters.

This review was originally posted on Creative Madness Mama.

Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox

by Matthew Luckhurst

Reviewed by cherryblossommj on Sep 29, 2015

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