Blue, Barry & Pancakes (Blue, Barry & Pancakes #1)

Rapidly paced and loaded with absurdity and laughs, dynamic cartoon illustrations sweep readers along on a journey designed to humorously upend their expectations.

K-Gr 3--During a trip to the beach, Barry, a frog with a penchant for problem-solving and inventing, and Pancakes, an athletic large yellow rabbit, play a game of keep away with a beach ball belonging to a studious and introverted worm, Blue. Against Blue's protests, Barry and Pancakes take the ball, and a series of unfortunate--and hilarious--events ensue. A whale swallows the ball, but when the pals get it back, it soon lands in a flying airplane before being sucked up by a passing UFO. The misadventures continue until the ball is secured and all is forgiven. This graphic novel is the perfect length for younger readers, with most of the panels taking up a full page. The cartoon art is bright and appealing, with loud colors, exaggerated comic reactions, and goofy details. Character guides offer more information on Blue, Barry, and Pancakes (a true bookworm, Blue can often be found "sipping a hot beverage and reading"), which will further endear them to readers. VERDICT Riotously entertaining. Readers will look forward to more adventures with this quirky trio.--Gretchen Hardin, Bee Cave P.L., TX

A friendly beach excursion turns into a fantastical adventure in this action-filled early reader graphic novel debut reminiscent of Nickelodeon cartoons. Within a three-story tree house reside three neighbors and best buds: Blue, a periwinkle worm who loves collecting; Barry, a square-shaped frog who enjoys drawing maps and diagrams; and Pancakes, a colossal yellow bunny with a pink tail. Bored during a trip to the beach, Barry and Pancakes--over Blue's earnest objections--begin playing keep-away with Blue's collectible beach ball. This straightforward conflict among friends grows comically dire when a whale rises from the sea and swallows the ball mid-throw, leading the trio on a madcap chase to recover it. The quest sends the threesome from the belly of the whale to an alien pool party to the center of a volcano, just in time for a bizarre birthday celebration. Creative team Dan & Jason write, draw, color, and letter together in their children's book debut; they fill energetic and cinematic panels with sound effects and screwball comedy, resulting in an absurd tale of friendship that never stops moving. Ages 4-8. Agent (for author and illustrator): Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary Studio. (Mar.)