Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A suburban tiger cat named Tabitha and a rainforest elephant named Fritz swap places--and families--via "Lair-bnb," then update each other on their respective adventures. Initially, Fritz likes hanging with Tabitha's "little human" and eating on demand in the kitchen--a "room just for food." Tabitha, meanwhile, meets some big cats from her extended family and gets in touch with her inner cheetah (she signs her message, "Feeling fierce"). But new social norms slowly prove too hard an adjustment: Tabitha horrifies her vegetarian host family by eating mouse pizza, and Fritz discovers that front-lawn dust baths are definitely frowned upon. But while they agree to cut their visits short, the denouements prove that their experiences--ups and downs--were all worthwhile. Tabitha and Fritz are pretty much two of a kind, but debut author Frawley livens their epistolary exchanges with wordplay and knowing phrases (an enormous snake "does NOT play well with others"). She gets a big assist from Stansfield (Poems Out Loud!), whose bright pastel settings, vivid expressions, and large cast of high-spirited supporting characters pull readers through the story. Ages 2--7. Author's agent: Curtis Russell, P.S. Literary. Illustrator's agent: Charlie Bowden, Pickled Ink. (Jan.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--A prim feline and outgoing pachyderm swap homes in this fun anthropomorphic tale. Tabitha is bored of indoor life in the city and Fritz seeks a new adventure during which to celebrate his birthday. They make a connection on "Lair-BNB" and proceed to switch places, documenting their trips through online messages to each other. As the vacations turn from fun and exciting (Tabitha meets some leopard "relatives," Fritz enjoys the company of his "tiny human" companion) to frustrating (Fritz makes a mess of a museum visit and Tabitha is tossed in a waterfall), the two decide "there's no place like home" and return to more familiar comforts--and a promise to travel together in the future. This tale is told exclusively in illustrations and messages, complementing one another as well as contradicting. The book functions as a beginning reader, despite a straightforward picture book layout, because both characters write with extensive descriptions and adjectives, and frequently sign off on their correspondence with alliteration ("grand and gourmet," "primal and pouncing"). Nearly all of the bright digital illustrations split the page, with Fritz's activities on one side and Tabitha's on the other. The virtual messages appear either within the scene or on the following page. In this way, readers can compare what the character thinks they are experiencing (a personal litter box) and what actually occurs (a steaming pile and an angry meerkat). The color palette is bright and cheery; Fritz is blue with a warm glow to his cheeks, and Tabitha is orange with round green eyes. VERDICT A laugh-out-loud story that spells out why the grass is not always greener, with subtle language lessons built in for emerging readers.--Clara Hendricks, Cambridge P.L., MA
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
It's the getaway that's everything Fritz and Tabitha want and need…until it isn't. Tabitha, an orange cat from the suburbs, and Fritz, an elephant with a yen for travel, meet on the website Lair-bnb. Tabitha needs to get out of her little brick house--and away from Claudia, her little human, who's a bit aggressive with the makeovers. Fritz has had enough of the herd for a while. Fritz loves the "watering hole" (a swimming pool) that Claudia takes him to after his long flight. Tabitha's overjoyed to find some "family in the area" (a pair of cheetahs). (Throughout, readers are treated to Stansfield's visual representations of the animals' misconceptions.) But soon the excitement of the swap wears off. Fritz nearly cracks a tusk on a giant fake doughnut outside a bakery, and Tabitha's mouse pizza horrifies Fritz's herd. After a disaster when Fritz mistakes Claudia's birthday party for his and a painful run-in with a hippo for Tabitha, both think an early swap back is a good idea--but their thank-you gifts to each other indicate warm feelings on both sides. Frawley's tongue-in-cheek tale is told entirely in Lair-bnb messages between the two vacationers as each describes their trip to their counterpart. Starting with the endpapers, Stansfield's bright cartoons offer plenty of little background giggles as well as plenty of foreground laughs. A satisfying spin on the trading-places trope. (Picture book. 2-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
