Review by Booklist Review
Bear and Hamster live in a cozy cottage complete with plush recliners and a TV, but despite their comfort, they're taken in by advertising. Heron-like pitchman Sneaky Beak appears on screen, hawking a bouncy new bed, and Bear feeling doubtful requests the free bounce test, which leads to him ordering the product. After the delivery, Sneaky Beak hands Bear and Hamster a flyer asking if their bathtub produces enough bubbles, and soon a new tub floods the house. Finally, Sneaky Beak suggests a vacation by rocket ship, sending Bear into outer space, where he realizes that he and Hamster had everything they needed all along in each other. Neal's illustrations are eye-poppingly bright, with lettering that explodes along with the action (like the WHOOSH that rushes with the flood of bathwater down Bear's stairs). Buoyed by a pro-sustainability message, this hilarious, cautionary tale of consumer culture shows the ways in which materialism takes away more than it gives.--Connie Fletcher Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A susceptible bear falls under the spell of a slick salesbird.A glib TV ad questioning whether his bed is bouncy enough has Bear signing up for a "bounce test," which leads to the installation of a "Snores-Galore Mega Bed" so huge that it crowds Bear's silent co-habitant Hamster right out of the bedroom. In a classic round of upselling, the eponymous avian huckster then cozens Bear into springing for a "Super-Whirl Turbo Tub" that floods the house, a "Crunch-O-Matic Granola Maker" that likewise explodes, and even a rocket to an outer-space vacation. Realizing at last that glamorous goods are no substitute for his tiny, treasured friend, Bear returns to Earth determined to chuck the lotand responds to Sneaky Beak's offer of a "Trash-tastic Trash Can" with: "No, thanks! Hamster and I will recycle!" Though Corderoy and Neal rather flub the ending by equating "recycle" with just pitching all the appliances out on the sidewalk with a "Free Stuff" sign, their hearts and values are more or less in the right place. Bear's new stuff comes positively festooned with retro-futuristic gauges, dials, and robot arms that play amusingly with the pastel refrigerator, lava lamp, and other domestic period details in the cartoon illustrations. A cautionary tale for budding consumers. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
