Marc Rosenthal

On the first page Archie (who bears some resemblance to George--perhaps they are cousins?) is inexplicably floating on the ocean asleep in his bed. Never mind that beds don't float and we have no idea how he got there. When he reaches land he becomes a kind of monkey Robinson Crusoe. He makes friends with an ibis named Clarice and a Tiger named Beatrice and they are happy until pirates come and capture Beatrice. Archie and Clarice hatch a plan to free Beatrice and scare away the pirates.

Very well-written and classically illustrated. Enjoyable if you're into clever, friendly animals living in a human-free jungle utopia.… (more)

Throughout the pages of this book there are a lot of little images to focus on. The author utilizes onomatopoeia on every page. Each page encompasses small illustrations that all have some sort of meaning. The main character in the book is complaining that there is nothing to do, while we, as the audience, notice all of the exciting things happening in the illustration around him that he is oblivious to. This book teaches kids to make their own fun rather than complaining that they are bored constantly.… (more)

Marc Rosenthal does an excellent job with using onomatopoeias throughout this book. Phooey had me laughing out loud with the illustrations and the authors onomatopoeias. The little boy in the book is so busy complaining how boring it is in his town that he doesn't see all the chaos around him: the cat falling out of the tree, the dog chasing the cat then scaring the elephant, the elephant running through the town, and the market oranges everywhere and pirates in the street. Finally, something happens! The little boys cat falls out of the sky and lands into his lap and then he realizes that this is a great place! This is a great mentor book that is filled with action and fun!!… (more)