Oh No! Not Again! : Or How I Built a Time Machine to Save History (Oh No! #2)

Gr 1-3—The technical genius from Oh No! (Hyperion, 2010) is aghast at having given a wrong answer on a test. She creates a time machine to take her to Belgium, where she can change history. Then her answer to "In what modern country do we find the oldest cave paintings?" will be correct. At the controls, she has a couple of misses and ends up alongside a fish in 25,000,000 BCE Belgium, then next to Napoleon, before making it to 33,000 BCE. Spotting two Neanderthals, she exclaims, "Get in there and spray some art, Maestros!" They spray paint their faces instead. Taking things into her own hands, the girl enters a cave, arms full of art supplies, and exits in triumph, only to realize that the two took the time machine joyriding. "Oh man. This might affect the history test." The spare text is low key and consists mainly of thought bubbles. The illustrations have wide, black margins above and below large, energetic graphic-novel-style spreads. A closing map of time-travel routes may inspire kids to write their own tales. This picture book strives to evoke a film, and kids with a fast-paced, visual edge and a keen sense of slapstick will devour it. (The dust jacket folds out into a movie poster.)—Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

The studious, pigtailed girl whose science project got out of hand in Oh No! hasn't quite learned her lesson. When she misses one question on her history test (she incorrectly answers that Belgium is the location of the oldest prehistoric cave paintings), she travels via time machine to prehistoric Belgium to alter history and ensure that her answer is correct. Barnett's deadpan prose and Santat's page-popping art hilariously reveal what happens when you mess with history, while delivering a light message about the perils of perfectionism. Ages 4-8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (June)

Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

The studious, pigtailed girl whose science project got out of hand in Oh No! hasn't quite learned her lesson. When she misses one question on her history test (she incorrectly answers that Belgium is the location of the oldest prehistoric cave paintings), she travels via time machine to prehistoric Belgium to alter history and ensure that her answer is correct. Barnett's deadpan prose and Santat's page-popping art hilariously reveal what happens when you mess with history, while delivering a light message about the perils of perfectionism. Ages 4 8. PW"