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Overview
Bubba, a brand-new Texas baby, and Beau, a brand-new Texas puppy, are best friends who share lots of adventures.
When Mamma Pearl washes their favorite blanket it's a sad day for best friends Bubba and Beau, but it gets worse when she decides the baby boy and his puppy need baths, too.
Synopsis
Meet Bubba and Beau—two best friends who can’t stand baths!
Publishers Weekly
When baby Bubba is born, his father, Big Bubba, "revved up Earl, his trusty pickup truck, and honked the horn as loud as he could." Likewise, when puppy Beau arrives, bloodhound Maurice "threw his head back and began to bay." The proud human and canine poppas are shown howling together in the bed of the pickup. Following this celebration, Bubba and Beau become inseparable. In brief chapters, the buddies crawl in the mud, inhale the "smelly smell" of their shared blanket and seem stunned after Bubba's Mama Pearl gives them a soapy scrubbing. "Sister, those two got along," writes Appelt (Elephants Aloft), warmly conveying the twosome's attachment. Howard (Hoodwinked), who sketches in a loose charcoal line and transparent watercolor, shows the characters sticking together; a curious Beau watches Bubba and vice versa during the bath sequence. Howard alludes to a Texas setting by placing a state flag on Earl's antenna and longhorns on the hood plus picturing Big Bubba in a ranch shirt, with a belly that overlaps his belt buckle. All the hounds wear bandannas, and Mama Pearl looks comfy in scuffed cowboy boots and a housedress when she hangs out the wash. Appelt's fond voice and Howard's good-humored drawings combine to suggest an easygoing, distinctly Texan family life. Ages 2-5. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"A howling good time."—Kirkus Reviews"[A] drawling, swingy, storytelling voice, coupled with wonderful pictures, makes the whole event a treat."—Chicago Tribune
Publishers Weekly
When baby Bubba is born, his father, Big Bubba, "revved up Earl, his trusty pickup truck, and honked the horn as loud as he could." Likewise, when puppy Beau arrives, bloodhound Maurice "threw his head back and began to bay." The proud human and canine poppas are shown howling together in the bed of the pickup. Following this celebration, Bubba and Beau become inseparable. In brief chapters, the buddies crawl in the mud, inhale the "smelly smell" of their shared blanket and seem stunned after Bubba's Mama Pearl gives them a soapy scrubbing. "Sister, those two got along," writes Appelt (Elephants Aloft), warmly conveying the twosome's attachment. Howard (Hoodwinked), who sketches in a loose charcoal line and transparent watercolor, shows the characters sticking together; a curious Beau watches Bubba and vice versa during the bath sequence. Howard alludes to a Texas setting by placing a state flag on Earl's antenna and longhorns on the hood plus picturing Big Bubba in a ranch shirt, with a belly that overlaps his belt buckle. All the hounds wear bandannas, and Mama Pearl looks comfy in scuffed cowboy boots and a housedress when she hangs out the wash. Appelt's fond voice and Howard's good-humored drawings combine to suggest an easygoing, distinctly Texan family life. Ages 2-5. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.Children's Literature
Here is a charming tale of best friends right from the beginning—birth to be exact. Bubba and Beau are brand new babies with equally proud papas. Bubba's papa, Big Bubba, even revved up his trusty pickup truck, Earl, and honked the horn as loud as he could. Beau's papa, Maurice, was so delighted he ran around in circles. Each had perfect babies—a perfect boy and a perfect hound. Both were busting with pride. What a commotion! Now Bubba and Beau do everything together—chewing, playing in the mud, crawling on all fours. Their friendship is bonded even more by Bubba's soft pinky-pink blankie. It is the best and it even smells like Bubba and Beau. Then, the unthinkable happens—Mama Pearl washes the blanket. Now it smells like soap. It is a sad day in Bubbaville. Since Mama is in a cleaning mood, Bubba and Beau get washed, too. Now everyone smells like soap. Once the blankie is dry and taken off the line, snappety-snap, blankie is back, and the best friends snuggle in it again. Howard, best known for his Mr. Putter and Tabby illustrations, creates warm and gentle watercolor illustrations, adding to the innocence and charm of life in a Texas town. Kathi Appelt sure has a winner in this story, even if Bubba and Beau outgrow their blankie. 2002, Harcourt,— Elizabeth Young