Reviews for Blue baboon finds her tune

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

As it turns out, beauty is in the ear of the beholder. Blue Baboon wanders into a park and spots a musical combo playing. She sees a bassoon on its stand, scoops it up, and starts playing along. Sadly, she is not a natural, and an elephant, one of the musicians, takes the instrument away from her. After a storm puts an end to the music, Blue Baboon spies a sign for nighttime hot air balloon rides and takes off in one; as she does, the elephant hands (trunks?) the bassoon to her, and eventually she finds a new place to play her music—and a friend, Green Baboon, who appreciates her unusual sound. Though the rhyming text is spare, with just a few words per page (“Big monsoon, wet baboon”), there are many details in the vibrant illustrations (the facial expressions of all the characters, including the moon, the ducks who follow along), all contributing to the depth of the story. Even the music feels vivid, shown in floating, gentle bubbles from the combo in contrast to the boldly colored lightning bolts that emanate when Blue Baboon and Green Baboon play. Children will enjoy pointing out the pink balloon with a white heart that appears in every spread. The characters are endearing, and the final two-page spread is a visual delight, with everyone floating through the sky in dazzling hot air balloons. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An eye-catching palette and charming characters will draw readers in from the very first page. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

From the creators of The Snatchabook (2013) comes another sweet story featuring interesting animal characters and an endearing ending. Beneath a starry sky, Blue Baboon listens to a band playing in the park, where she notices a lonely bassoon on its stand. She picks it up and begins to play—out of tune. Just as the band asks for the bassoon back, a brief but mighty monsoon strikes. Once the rain clears, Blue Baboon boards a hot-air balloon—bassoon once again in hand—and she flies to an island, where she is free to play the instrument in her own way. Drawn by the music, Green Baboon joins her and begins to croon, perfectly out of tune, too. The simple, rhyming text features repetition and descriptive words that are wonderful to read aloud. Adult readers can guide little ones through the bold, saturated illustrations, pointing out key objects from the text: “orange moon,” “big monsoon,” “finds balloon.” All culminates in a beautiful, visual ending in which all the animals play a "happy tune" together while soaring in hot-air balloons.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

As it turns out, beauty is in the ear of the beholder.Blue Baboon wanders into a park and spots a musical combo playing. She sees a bassoon on its stand, scoops it up, and starts playing along. Sadly, she is not a natural, and an elephant, one of the musicians, takes the instrument away from her. After a storm puts an end to the music, Blue Baboon spies a sign for nighttime hot air balloon rides and takes off in one; as she does, the elephant hands (trunks?) the bassoon to her, and eventually she finds a new place to play her musicand a friend, Green Baboon, who appreciates her unusual sound. Though the rhyming text is spare, with just a few words per page (Big monsoon, wet baboon), there are many details in the vibrant illustrations (the facial expressions of all the characters, including the moon, the ducks who follow along), all contributing to the depth of the story. Even the music feels vivid, shown in floating, gentle bubbles from the combo in contrast to the boldly colored lightning bolts that emanate when Blue Baboon and Green Baboon play. Children will enjoy pointing out the pink balloon with a white heart that appears in every spread. The characters are endearing, and the final two-page spread is a visual delight, with everyone floating through the sky in dazzling hot air balloons. (This book was reviewed digitally.)An eye-catching palette and charming characters will draw readers in from the very first page. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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