Sylvie Desrosiers

Sylvie Desrosiers and Remy Simard have created a visual delight in this new wordless picture book, Hocus Pocus. Mister Magic's dog, relaxing at home after a hard day's work, is disturbed by the hungry rabbit in the hat, who has plenty of schemes in mind to get that coveted carrot. Jokes and accidents abound until Mister Magic awakes and all ends happily - for the rabbit.

The panels, as you can see below, are full of movement, life, and marvelous color while being simple enough that a young show more child can carefully follow each joke and twist of the plot. Brilliant backgrounds in yellow, green, pink and blue set off the brightly colored characters and briskly moving plot. While this one isn't an ideal storytime read-aloud, it's perfect to snuggle up with that special child or hand to an older kid to enjoy on their own.

Verdict: Highly recommended. Just out of curiosity, does anyone have a graphic novel picture book section? No? Well, it is hard to define them, but this one will definitely get added to my list. All ages will enjoy this funny romp through magic and mishap.

ISBN: 9781554535774; Published August 2011 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by the publisher through Raab; Purchased for the library show less

This book is nicely illustrated. It reminds me sort of like I was looking at illustrations my own child possibly made. I like how this book has no words, but it still has a wonderful story to tell. It helps to introduce children to comic strips while appealing to their interest in brightly colored illustrations.

This is another thinking book in my opinion. I love how it allows for the reader to decide to tell the story. I like that there are no words because it allows for the reader to use show more their imagination by following the pictures and tell a story all on their own. This is one of those books that are great for nearly any child that is learning to talk or has been talking for years. It can potentially be beneficial to their language/ concept development. show less

When Mister Magic arrives home with his top hat, Dog and a bag full of groceries, he is ready to relax. He puts on headphones, sits in a comfortable chair and listens to music. Before long, Mister Magic and Dog are both fast asleep and Hocus Pocus, a mischievous rabbit is scrambling out of Mister Magic's top hat. Hocus Pocus sees Mister Magic's carrots peeking out of the grocery bag and wants one. He worries about awakening Dog and is soon plotting ways to avoid the canine and his sharp show more teeth.

Retro illustrations (created with Adobe Illustrator) and the messy, farcical battle between Dog and Hocus Pocus give the story a cartoon-like feel. Hocus Pocus is great fun and will be enjoyed by children aged four and up. show less

This book is formatted like a comic book. It tells the story of how the bunny and dog met. Without having any words, it leaves some room for interpretation. I think it is a cute book for students that are interested in this format of story telling. I would not have this book in my classroom library only because I did not enjoy the book as much as I wanted to.