Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2^-4. Here's a rib-tickler from the author of Roadsigns: A Hare-y Race with a Tortoise (2000), and the illustrator of How Santa Lost His Job. Skeleton wakes up with a case of hiccups that survives a succession of tricks suggested by a ghostly friend: "Hold your breath," "Eat some sugar," "Drink some water . . . upside down." Children will chortle over the inevitable results, as food and water pour out as fast as Skeleton can pour them in. In her bare-bones text, Cuyler establishes a strong, infectious rhythm by sandwiching a "hic hic hic" between each three-or four-word line. Schindler's art is reduced to bare essentials, too: simply drawn figures, minimal detailing, monochromatic backgrounds. At last, a look in a mirror draws a scream from Skeleton that frightens the hiccups away--but not before they have given readers' funny bones a real workout. --John Peters
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Skeleton's persistent hiccups prevent him from carving a pumpkin and other activities. "The commonplace condition and unlikely victim make for offbeat-hic-comedy," wrote PW. Ages 3-6. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-This simple story begs to be read aloud. With a recurring "hic, hic, hic," Skeleton attempts the day's business: he gets up, takes a shower, polishes his bones, carves a pumpkin, rakes the leaves, and plays ball with Ghost. When the traditional remedies don't work, Ghost makes a face and shouts "Boo!" at his friend, but to no avail. Finally, clever Ghost confronts Skeleton with a mirror, frightening the hiccups right out of him and sending them "hic, hic, hic"-ing over the hills. With hilarious illustrations that fill the pages, this book will be a treat for children who can laugh at the slightly macabre. Not all youngsters will be comfortable when Skeleton brushes his teeth and hiccups at the same time, jettisoning his lower jaw across the page, or when the sugar falls through his bones and water pours through his empty eye sockets as he attempts to rid himself of the bone-jarring nuisance. However, Schindler's gouache, watercolor, and ink pictures make the most out of each situation, instilling humor in every scene.-Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Preschool, Primary) What could be more amusingly incongruous than a skeleton with hiccups? Or, since persistent hiccups do sound rather like bones rattling, more eerily appropriate? This skeleton has a peculiarly persistent case: they wake him from the grave and continue through his nightly rituals, which include brushing his teeth and polishing his no-longer-well-connected bones. Ghost, a friendly, freckle-faced haunt, offers suggestions to banish the hiccups, with comically gruesome but ineffective results: for example, when Skeleton drinks water upside-down, it pours out his cavernous eyes. Meanwhile, each phrase of Cuyler's terse, rhythmic narrative (""Skeleton woke up...Had the hiccups...Took a shower,"" etc.) is punctuated with a ""hic, hic, hic"" that's sure to have kids giggling and joining in. Schindler augments the simple idea with funny expressions and details on each handsome, boldly designed page. How does Skeleton get rid of the hiccups? We won't tell, but it is a perfect conclusion to this Halloween pleaser. Boo! (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Who hasn't shared the aggravation of a whole day's worth of bone-rattling hiccups? Poor Skeleton wakes up with a deadly case that he can't shake, and it's up to his friend Ghost to think of something to scare them away. Cuyler (Stop, Drop, and Roll, 2001, etc.) cleverly brings readers through the ups and downs of Skeleton's day, from shower to ball-playing. Home folk remedies (holding his breath, eating sugar) don't seem to work, but Ghost applies a new perspective startling enough to unhinge listeners and Skeleton alike. While the concept is clever, it's Schindler's (How Santa Lost His Job, 2001, etc.) paintings, done with gouache, ink, and watercolor, that carry the day, showing Skeleton's own unique problems-water pours out of his hollow eyes when he drinks it upside down, his teeth spin out of his head when he brushes them-that make a joke of the circumstances. Oversized spreads open the scene to read-aloud audiences, but hold intimate details for sharp eyes-monster slippers, sugar streaming through the hollow body. For all the hiccupping, this outing has a quiet feel not up to the standards of some of Cuyler's earlier books, but the right audience will enjoy its fun. (Picture book. 4-6)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
