Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* I've had enough, says Cosmos the wooden toy plane. He's tired of the toy box and longs to be Somewhere perhaps the white-domed building visible from his window. So Cosmos and Woggy, a black-and-white stuffed dog, set off, flying above Parisian streets toward the (never fully identified) Panthéon. The initial excitement is tempered by a run-in with birds, and then being lost in a storm, which sends the pair topsy-turvy. But when the sun breaks through, the dome is visible, and the friends are finally Somewhere. As they sit on one of the Panthéon's griffins, they can see all of Paris, with a rainbow framing the Eiffel Tower. Ichikawa takes the children on a journey that is just right for them, from the adorable protagonists and their longing for freedom to the glorious ending. The adventure element is perfectly keyed to the age group trouble and turbulence are endured with bravery that leads to a happy resolution. Although children may not understand that the setting is Paris, the charming watercolors with their everchanging scenes and skies will pull them in. This is a perfect choice for story hours.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ichikawa's (I Am Pangoo the Penguin) watercolors treat readers to splendid views out the artist's window in Montmartre and up the hill toward the "White Dome" (the Sacre-Coeur Basilica, named only on the flap copy). Yet it is not Ichikawa's perspective that readers share, but that of two toys, a wooden propeller plane and a stuffed dog who are best friends. Cosmos, the plane, announces that he wants to go "Somewhere" and invites Woggy to come along. After admiring a sumptuously shaded Montmartre skyline dominated by the wedding-cake-like Sacre-Coeur, the two fly through the quaint streets, attracting attention from passersby as well as people (and animals) behind picturesquely framed windows. In several spreads the text is arranged to mimic Cosmos's sometimes circular flight path, an old trick that nevertheless works to great effect, in part because rotations of the page reveal Woggy's expression. A chase scene involving a "cloud monster" adds suspense, then resolves in an invitingly scaled and detailed spread of the two friends perched on one of the cathedral's gargoyles and gazing at a rainbow that arches over the sprawling city below. Ichikawa successfully navigates the thin line between sweet and treacly, soothing young readers about their fears of traveling as she reminds them of the excitement and pleasures to be had. Ages 4-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-As in La La Rose (2004) and I Am Pangoo the Penguin (2006, both Philomel), Ichikawa again sends her toys on an escapade in her adopted city. When Cosmos, a wooden plane, tells his friend Woggy, a stuffed dog, that he yearns to leave their playroom and go Somewhere, the two set off for an adventure high above the rooftops of Paris. Perched jauntily astride Cosmos, Woggy rides his friend as they sail through the sky, play loop-the-loop with birds, and get tossed about by the stormy cloud monster on their way to the White Dome on the hilltop, where they are rewarded by a spectacular rainbow. Adults may recognize the friends' goal as the Sacre-Coeur Basilica and the distant structure under the rainbow as the Eiffel Tower. Ichikawa's watercolor illustrations propel Cosmos and Woggy across full spreads that entice children to turn the page. The beautifully drawn aerial views contribute to the excitement and sense of awe as the travelers view the famed city from on high. This soaring selection will spark the imaginations of young readers who also yearn to go Somewhere.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT (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
Wooden airplane Cosmos decides it's time to leave the playroom and fly, with stuffed-animal friend Woggy, to the "White Dome" they see from their Parisian window (a view of Sacre Coeur shared by the author, according to a concluding note). The disjointed tale is less a story than a showcase for Ichikawa's aerial-view watercolor illustrations, some of which are breathtaking. (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.
