School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Professor Bumble (a bear) and his friend Beluga (a tiny goldfish in a bowl) spend every Monday morning at their favorite swimming spot. One morning, Otter is there fishing and wants them to swim elsewhere. When the two protest, Otter grumpily leaves, warning them to beware the Monster of the Deep, who has three heads, five eyes, and a huge mouth-big enough to swallow a bear in one gulp. Beluga laughs it off and floats around in his bowl, but Bumble cautiously decides to stay on land and keep watch over his pal-which he does until the bowl overturns and disappears. When Bumble leaps into the water to save his friend, dressed in full bathing regalia (including two inner tubes, swimming mask, cap, and wings), confusion and terror reign. All is at last resolved: the two friends go home to have a safe swim in the bathtub, and Otter leaves the pond convinced that the monster he made up is real. The humorous cartoon watercolor illustrations depict the action admirably and portray Bumble particularly well. The endpapers show him in several poses: in the front he is putting article after article of his swimming ensemble on, and at the back he is divesting himself of each item one by one. Although the book is not unique, its child-appealing humor makes it attractive.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The titular professor is both a bear and a creature of habit: every Monday he takes his pet goldfish, Beluga, and bicycles down to the lake for a swim. But the routine is upset when a cranky otter, fishing with a pole, decides that a swimming bear will interfere with his catch. He convinces the professor that the lake is inhabited by a bottom-dwelling monster with "three heads and five eyes. And a huge mouth with sharp teeth. It can swallow a bear in one bite!" Beluga is undeterred, but the thoroughly spooked Professor Bumble waits on shore until Beluga, still in her aquarium, sinks from sight, and he feels obliged to rescue her, with the use of a goofy pool float. Napp gets lots of comic mileage from the contrast between the calm outdoor setting and his characters' hyperexpressive slapstick antics. But the text, translated from the original German, doesn't create much of a sense of personality or set off the story arc. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
