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|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | HOBBIE | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
When Toot doesn't return home to Woodcock Pocket as expected, Puddle becomes worried and decides he must go find him. His search leads him on a remarkable adventure, and to new summits of friendship. As ever, Holly Hobbie's extraordinary watercolor illustrations are at once funny and moving as they bring to life this whimsical tale of the inimitable Toot and Puddle.
Author Notes
Holly Hobbie was born in 1944 and grew up in Connecticut. American Greetings purchased some of her artwork to use on their line of cards and it was an instant success. The "Holly Hobbie" character was used on a variety of items including plates and lunchboxes. Holly Hobbie clubs and publications have been established to deal with the now collectible products. Holly Hobbie the author has written The Art of Holly Hobbie and Toot & Puddle, a picture book for children.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Hobbie's winsome pigs are traveling again, up Orchard Hill and through the woods to the top of the world, but this time the various themes of the book are less integrated. What begins as a tender story about the fear of loss and friendship quickly becomes a less substantial picaresque adventure that relies heavily on readers' knowledge of previous Toot and Puddle books. Toot leaves a note for Puddle, "Gone for a walk. Be back soon." But when he doesn't return by nighttime, Puddle envisions him "[tumbling] into a hole... or something even worse." The sweetly touching illustrations of timid Puddle imagining wolves and confronting the dark woods are so successful that the lighthearted action in the last half seems almost like a different book. Fortunately for the implausible plot, Puddle's own whimsical choices lead him directly to the same place as his missing friend ("Which way would I go... if I was Toot," he asks himself). One of the strengths of this series is its appeal to both young and old alike, but here young readers who worry about parents and friends leaving and not coming back may find it hard to excuse Toot's egocentric search for adventure and his lack of consideration for Puddle. Nonetheless, Hobbie's expert and endearing paintings, some of which are standouts in the series, will appeal to her many fans. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
When Toot doesn't come back from his morning walk, his friend Puddle goes looking for him and ends up in France, where Toot has traveled because he had a whim. Following another whim, the pigs go mountain-climbing in Nepal before returning home. While this genial story has a couple of abrupt transitions, Hobbie's watercolors skillfully portray the pigs and the multiple settings. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Every new Toot & Puddle adventure is an eagerly awaited event, and while this one arrives on many levels, it takes a wrong turn somewhere and leaves someone at the station. Once again, Hobbie's (I'll Be Home For Christmas, not reviewed, etc.) signature style drives the story with beautiful and witty watercolors complementing, as unwritten text, the intrepid storytelling. Actually, Toot off on another perambulation drives the plot, and the practical Puddle is left to mow the lawn in a show of friendship. But he begins to worry and journeys out into the woods of Woodcock Pocket to find the tardy Toot. Following Toot's tracks logically leads to railroad tracks, which lead to . . . finding his friend in France. But readers see nothing of that country that might have been memorably rendered in Hobbie's charmingly detailed style. Furthermore, the happy denouement takes a turn at the airport into an ending that feels like it was meant for a different book. It's a large leap of readers' faith to go from a French airport to the top of the Himalayas with the turn of a page, however young the reader is. Hobbie has always honored children's intelligence and sense of wonder and tries in this outing, although she falls short with this whimsical twist, which inexplicably contributes to the title. Never mind. In Holly Hobbie's world, "whim" rhymes with "friend" and readers will forgive her this whim and remain her friend, still eagerly awaiting the next Toot & Puddle adventure. (Picture book. 4-7)
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. In their newest adventure the porcine friends accidentally set off to explore the world. Toot goes out for a walk, and when he doesn't return, Puddle sets out to find him. Because he knows his friend so well, Puddle correctly guesses that Toot might have gone to Provence in France: «That was one place Toot had never been.» After Puddle finds Toot, the friends explore France and Nepal, each eventually deciding, «I love to go off on a trip, and then when the time comes, I love to get back home.» The watercolors are spacious and sweet, and the pigs are as adorable as ever (particularly when wearing berets and sunglasses). Especially effective is the opening spread in which sunlight seems to pour in through a window and door. A great choice for new and existing Toot and Puddle fans. Marta Segal.