School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 1-Like most toddlers, Bartleby enjoys playing patty-cake, crawling, and jumping. But he doesn't say a single word. His mother sings loudly in pig Latin, his father plays the cello at bedtime, and his sister shrieks as she tap dances around him. Still, he doesn't talk. On his third birthday, after he enjoys sitting quietly on the porch swing with Grampy as they listen to and enjoy nature together, things change. Finally, Bartleby has something to say. Hawkes's energetic illustrations will elicit smiles, especially at the notable resemblance between Bartleby's ears and his grandfather's. The characters' expressive eyes, including the dog's, add to the humor. Youngsters will wait with great anticipation for the hilarious conclusion and ask for repeated readings.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bartleby Huddle, a winsome three-year-old with jug-handle ears, is the joy of his opera-singing mother, his cello-playing father, his tap-dancing sister and their enthusiastic poodle. But he won't talk, no matter how much they clamor to show him how. It's not until Grampy Huddle visits on Bartleby's birthday that the boy's real soul mate is revealed (no coincidence that Grampy has jug-handle ears, too). Out on the porch swing "they listened to the lilacs swish in the breeze. They swung. They held hands... And they didn't say a word." Hawkes's (The Road to Oz) clear, sunny watercolors lift the story to pleasing heights, like the balloons at Bartleby's birthday party. There, like an oracle, Bartleby speaks at last: "Listen!" is his first word-and his family does, hearing sounds they've never heard before. The story brightens considerably when Cruise (Only You) introduces Grampy. The dual themes-accepting children as they are, and understanding the meaning of silence-could easily compete for readers' attention. Fortunately, in this duo's hands, they appear as a satisfying whole. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
