Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee (Mr. Magee)

A chrome kitchen table, a buttercream-yellow Studebaker and other campy 1950s accessories distinguish this ebullient picture book. At daybreak, Mr. Magee, sporting a spiffy straw boater, and his black-and-white beagle, Dee, pack a picnic basket and drive to the seaside. They hop into their red-and-silver motorboat and putter across a hyper-blue ocean, past rocky islands that suggest the Maine coastline. As they admire a pod of whales in the distance, a stray baby whale grows curious. "From under the sea the little whale spied/ Magee and Dee's boat--but not them inside./ He longed for adventure. He wanted to play./ So he bumped at the boat in a most friendly way." Van Dusen (illus. of Silas, the Bookstore Cat) radically shifts perspective from spread to spread. Readers get a bird's-eye view of the boat with the immense whale below it, a lobster's-eye view of the whale beneath the tiny boat and a breathtaking close-up of Magee and Dee, who are airborne when the whale spouts a plume of water. The narrative bounces along on merrily measured meter, which maintains a lighthearted mood as the other whales get Magee and Dee out of trouble. The story ends at nightfall, with the sailors back on dry land. Van Dusen's exacting verse and kitschy, perfectionistic gouaches make this one whale of a tale. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 1-Mr. Magee and his dog Dee set out in their boat for a calm day on the water. While they admire a pod of whales, a stray comes up from underneath their boat and gives a big blow. The boat goes flying through the air and lands in a tree. Eventually, the whales come to their rescue and Mr. Magee and Dee return safely home after their crazy adventure. The momentum of the story is fast, and the rhyming text is sure to delight children. The gouache cartoons have a nostalgic 50s look and are bright, comical, and alive with color and detail. Each double-page spread offers a new perspective on the action. A strong debut for Van Dusen.-Hennie Vaandrager, Byron Township Library, Byron Center, MI Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"An ebullient picture book... Van Dusen's exacring verse and... gouaches make this one whale of a tale."