School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Brecon depicts the eponymous character's John Wayne-esque artistic exploits in a colorful desert community. Paws McDraw uses his trusty pencil to draw bridges under ill-fated trains, conjure a fire brigade to douse a church fire, and sketch a bucket to retrieve a bunny from a well. His adventures culminate in a showdown with the Rascally Raccoon Gang in which, with a little imagination and help from the town of cupcake-loving bunnies, Paws McDraw is able to save the day. The narrative makes use of sequential art and depicts past events in black-and-white comic strips. The smaller frames of artwork within the story are punctuated by spreads of art showing dynamic motion that threatens to explode off the page. Short bursts of text seem to bounce along, using familiar Western tropes and fun vocabulary in the characters' speech bubbles and conspiratorial asides from the narrator. This is reminiscent of Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon but rendered in the style of Bob Shea. VERDICT The colorful, cartoonish visuals will appeal to independent readers, and the energetic plot and striking visuals will make this an enjoyable read-aloud for younger audiences as well.-Kelly Topita, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Paws McDraw, a bearlike cowboy, is the de facto protector of the Wild West town of Bunny Hill. But while Paws is "quick on the draw," he relies on a pencil-not a pistol-for his heroics, drawing a crew of elephant firefighters to combat a blaze or doodling a bucket on a rope to rescue a bunny named Timmy from a well. Paws's talents are put to the test when the Rascally Raccoon Gang arrives, intent on stealing the sweets from the town's "crazy cupcake carnival." The lasso and jail that Paws draws into existence don't slow the gang down, and he's out of ideas. Brecon (There's This Thing) uses a folksy tone ("Before you could say hot-diggity-dog, Paws had those rascally raccoons... all locked up!") to pull readers into his quirky western setting, and dialogue balloons and visual jokes in the background pack additional comedy into the scenes. The trick Paws uses to defeat the raccoons comes out of nowhere, but in a setting as goofy as this one, it kind of works. Ages 3-8. Agency: Bright Group. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
