Ruth Chan (1)

Julie Falatko, the author of the amusing Snappsy the Alligator books, and Ruth Chan, author/illustrator of the entertaining Georgie and Friends titles, join forces in this unusual holiday adventure. While a human family heads off for their own vacation in the outdoors, a group of woodland animals takes up residence in their home, intent on enjoying "the great indoors." Things go well at first, but soon the animals have created a terrible mess and, deciding that their own homes are best, head off. Just at that moment, the human family returns...

Pairing an entertaining and occasionally giggle-inducing narrative and cute illustrations that capture the humor and charm of the story, The Great Indoors is a winsome new picture-book. The story idea is clever, and there are moments in the text - the skunk talking about "the simple life," the bear declaring that "frosty cold" beverages are so much better than the "forest-temperature" ones he is used to - that really stand out. I don't know that this one struck my funny bone quite as strongly as the Snappsy books, but it was certainly engaging and fun. The artwork is appealing, and accentuates the madcap sense of fun throughout. Recommended to anyone who has ever wondered what the animals would get up to on vacation, as well as to those who prefer the idea of a staycation at home, to the idea of camping in the woods.… (lisätietoja)

Georgie the cat returns in this second adorable picture-book from author/illustrator Ruth Chan, following up on his earlier adventure in Where's the Party? Waking up on the wrong side of the bed one day, our feline hero quickly finds that things are going from bad to worse, and that all of his friends - Feta the dog, Lester the mouse, Sneakers the (???), and Ferdinand the mole - are also having a terrible day. Georgie suggests that they all engage in their favorite activities, in order to improve their mood, but a string of disasters only serves to further sour the day. Is this the worst bad day ever, or will the humor of Georgie's last mishap make it the best?

Having greatly enjoyed Ruth Chan's first foray into the world of this Brooklyn cat and his coterie of friends, I was simply delighted to be given the chance to read and review an Advance Reader's Edition of Georgie's Best Bad Day, which is not due out until April of 2017. The storyline is engaging - who hasn't had a day where everything seems to go wrong? - and the visual humor is infectious. I found myself chuckling as Georgie literally falls out of his bed, trips on a banana peel, and eventually gets his head stuck in a jar. Chan is Canadian, although she now lives in New York, so I appreciated the various subtle little tributes she included in her illustrations, from the 'Visit Canada' poster on Georgie's wall, to the poutine cookbook in Feta's kitchen. I also greatly appreciated the tribute she included to Mike Curato's polka-dotted elephant, Little Eliot, who is (like Georgie) a Brooklyn creation. Recommended to anyone who read and enjoyed the first book about Georgie and his friends. For my part, I hope Chan creates many more stories about these endearing characters and their humorous adventures together!… (lisätietoja)