Raymond the buffalo

Gr 1--3--A unique take from the perspective of a child's lost treasure in a transitional chapter book. Gilbert and Raymond, the buffalo who lives in Gilbert's favorite book, are best friends. They do everything together, until Gilbert develops an interest in dinosaurs. Raymond's jealousy is relieved when it is time for the dinosaur books to go back to the library--except that Gilbert's mother accidentally returns Raymond's book, too. He escapes from the pages and befriends the librarian as he awaits Gilbert's return. This is a quirky story with a sweet and satisfying ending. The language can be stiff, but funny: "Despite their differences, Gilbert and Raymond were inseparable. Like the right butt cheek and the left butt cheek, they were always together." Large chunks of text are broken up by small illustrations on nearly every page that keep the tale flowing. VERDICT This endearingly awkward book has a good heart, and with its unconventional humor, will appeal to tender-hearted readers.--Elissa Cooper, Helen Plum Memorial Lib., Lombard, IL

Two friends experience a prolonged separation in this import from Québec. Gilbert, a quiet White boy, and Raymond, a "brave, strong and hairy" buffalo who "live[s] in the pages of a book" called Raymond the Buffalo, are "inseparable"--until Gilbert becomes obsessed with dinosaurs and abandons his pal. When Gilbert's mom accidentally picks up Raymond the Buffalo and mistakenly returns it to the library along with a stack of dinosaur books, the librarian tells her to "just throw [the books] down the chute." Terrified, Raymond survives the chute but emerges outside his book. Upon realizing his mother's terrible mistake, Gilbert rushes to the library and becomes "inconsolable" when he learns the librarian has not seen Raymond the Buffalo. Later the librarian discovers Raymond but doesn't know Gilbert's name to reunite them. She advises Raymond he may stay in the library until Gilbert returns, but, months later, Raymond learns Gilbert's moved away. Raymond likes living in the library and, as years pass, becomes friends with the librarian (a White woman named Nicole), but he never forgets Gilbert, hoping they'll meet again. The large, easy-to-read text and detailed, amusing, perky illustrations track Raymond through his friendship with Gilbert, his harrowing arrival at the library, the painful separation, and his eventual adjustment to a new life. With his wily eyes and endearing grin, plucky Raymond offers a lesson in enduring friendships, old and new. An unusual, touching adventure involving a book, a library, and a friend. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.