School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Enter swashbuckling, chopper-riding, pencil-mustache sporting imaginary friend Brock. Despite his parent's dubious looks and disbelief, Phillip finds Brock's jokes hilarious and generally enjoys spending "all their time goofing around together." That is, until one fateful trip to the fair when Brock and Phillip are separated after the former decides to ride the "Brain Shaker" and the latter falls asleep on his father's shoulder. Phillip wakes in a panic on the ride home, realizing they have forgotten Brock. Brock becomes frightened without Phillip, seeking the help of a little girl who can actually see him. Anne and her own imaginary friend, Princess Sparkledust, take pity on Brock and bring him home. Even though he enjoys his new friends, adventures aren't quite the same without Phillip. Luckily, Phillip is out looking for Brock and when the two are finally reunited, they have two new friends to show for their harrowing tale. Goodrich's illustrations perfectly portray the drama and humor of life with an imaginary friend. VERDICT This title will pair nicely with Dan Santat's The Adventures of Beekle (Little, Brown, 2014) in a themed storytime on imaginary friends.-Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
With his skull-and-crossbones T-shirt, amplified musculature, scraggly hair, and ninja swords, Brock looks like he rode his chopper straight off the set of Sons of Anarchy. But he's actually the best friend ever, and Phillip adores him. Brock is also imaginary-"Whatever that means," says the sympathetic narrator. Then one day, Brock is separated from Phillip at the Big Fair; lost and lonely, he's taken in by a girl and her imaginary friend, the resplendently girly Princess Sparkle Dust. Pretty soon, "the three of them began to invent games and tell each other stories." Has Brock moved on for good? Goodrich (Mister Bud Wears the Cone) draws Brock and the Princess Sparkle Heart with the loving crayonlike work (black for Brock, purple for the princess) of a child artist; they're flattened, cut-out figures in a dimensional, full-color world, but their emotional vividness is as clear as can be. What starts as a familiar story of pretend play and dramatic irony turns into something stranger and more beautiful-a Möbius strip of fantasy and reality, with happy endings all around. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
