The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy (Bumblebee Boy)

Ladybug Girl's sidekick Bumblebee Boy gets a story of his own in this entry in Soman and Davis's series, an account of a playtime truce between Sam and his younger brother, Owen. The husband-and-wife team bounce between spreads of Sam as Bumblebee Boy immersed in superhero fantasies--fighting Greenbeard the Evil Pirate or the Fire Dragon--with real-life intrusions in the form of eager Owen. "But I am soup hero too!" Owen cries as he tries to keep up with Sam, who isn't interested in sharing his games. Or is he? As in their previous titles, Soman and Davis demonstrate a sweet-tempered understanding of children's conflicting feelings: "It was kind of fun when Owen helped catch the bank robbers, but Sam is still not sure if he is ready to play with anybody else." The contrast between Sam's brawny superhero exploits and the humble domestic scenes from which they derive (the Giant Saber-Toothed Lion is the family kitty, the lunar surface a quilt) will charm readers, and so will the cute-as-a-button Owen in his blankie cape and aviator's hat with flaps. Ages 3-5. (Oct.)

PreS-Gr 1--"Bum Ba BUM BUMM!" Sam, aka Bumblebee Boy-featured in two of the popular "Ladybug Girl" books-now has a story all to himself...or does he? In Soman's terrific watercolor and fine-line illustrations, rife with dramatic perspectives, he is just about to defeat Greenbeard the Pirate...Fire Dragon...Giganto, the Giant Saber-Toothed Lion...when he is yanked back into living-room reality by his little brother. "'I play now?'" asks the small blond boy in a star-and-comet sleepsuit, "'...I am soup hero too!'" Even children who are sibling-free will get the message and the fun in this engaging tale about brothers, imagination, frustration, and cozy compromise.--Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY