Minneapolis-St. Paul startribune.com
Inventive rhymes keep you snickering.... Much like his words, Degen's art is terrifically bright, clever and filled with zany surprises.
Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
Father and son bugs have a jolly time in this jaunty tale, in which Degen (Jamberry) again reveals his knack for creating and combining words in playful verse. "We doodle things together" explains the young narrator, first seen drawing pictures with his father. The cheerful son repeatedly draws a parallel between himself and his dad as he describes the adventures they share: "We walk our poodlebug down the lane,/ We ride the caboodle car on the train,/ We padoodle the canoe in the sun and rain./ That's what doodlebugs do./ 'Cause Daddy is a canoedlebug, and I'm a canoedlebug too." Degen works in a style reminiscent of vintage animated cartoons, achieved by creating the artwork in two stages: he executes a black pen-and-ink overlay and gouache color artwork on separate sheets. The star characters, as well as the other four-armed, anthropomorphic bug residents of Doodletown, are all the funnier for their useful extra limbs: a waitress in Mayfly's Diner, for instance, balances an entire meal on her quartet of appendages, and a fellow serenades his date on the banjo while holding a parasol for her in a canoe. Degen's noodle has come up with some fittingly quirky visuals for this splendoodle rhymoodle. Ages 3-6. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
Children's Literature
The fun dads have with their kids is matched here by jolly wordplay in this rhyming account, with the repeat refrain that Daddy is a doodlebug, or foodlebug, or canoedlebug: "And I'm a doodlebug..." Eating soupwithnoodle, or apple strudel; riding the train caboodle car or padoodling a canoe; and at the end of the day having a story and kiss goodnight with, "Don't let the bed boodles bite!," father and child have wonderful fun together, because, "That's what doodlebugs do." From the jacket/cover illustrations, depicting the anthropomorphic pair flying ladybug kites and fishing, the jolly times begin before the book is even opened. Brightlypainted, stylized bugs and flowers on the endpapers add to the upbeat tone. The story unfolds in detailed settings with droll insect characters, imaginatively designed plants, and toylike buildings, all a fair match for this linguistically inventive text. 2000, HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 3 to 6, $15.95 and $15.89. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
Children's Literature
- Children's Literature
From the first pictures--Dad Doodlebug working on his drawing board while little doodlebug draws on his little table--the reader feels the comfort of the repeated refrain, "Daddy is a doodlebug. /I'm a doodlebug too." Father and son play in the park, eat "soup with noodlebugs," walk their "poodlebug," ride in the "caboodle car on the train," and do many other things together. The reason for all they do, we find on the last page, is that "That's what doodlebugs do." The great fun of the book is in the sly humor of the illustrations as well as the silly wordplay, which kids will love. Children whose families express love for each other with a secret language will feel a smile of recognition. The artwork, a note tells us, came by its crispness and clarity in two stages--pen and ink drawings overlaid by a gouache of color. The tenderness and gusto of the doodlebugs for each other will leave young readers feeling cared for and nourished. 2000, HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 3 to 6, $15.95. Reviewer: Nancy Tilly
