Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Barnett and Rex concoct another self-referential story, this one about the process of bookmaking. As in Chloe and the Lion, Barnett and Rex star as writer and illustrator. With the help of an editor (-she is like a teacher, only she works in a skyscraper-), a tiger, pirates, and a cast of thousands (well, dozens), the manuscript leaves Barnett-s desk, undergoes editing, and arrives at the printer in Malaysia (-A lady put the words and the art into one side of the machine and out the other end came this book-). Rex-s elaborate paper sculptures look like classroom dioramas, even employing an actual globe to show the book-s journeys, whether it-s the manuscript crisscrossing the U.S. during edits or the slow boat bringing the printed book to the States. Although Barnett-s comic patter bypasses many questions-why print the book in Malaysia?-readers won-t have any difficulty sorting fact from fiction, and they-ll appreciate the sentiment that -a book still isn-t a book, not really, until it has a reader.- Ages 3-5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.)

School Library Journal (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

K-Gr 4 The creators of the metafictional romp Chloe and the Lion return with another picture book all tangled up in the story of its own creation. After introducing the two cut paper-and-pencil protagonists, Mac and Adam, the narrative proceeds with the steps of Mac's writing process: dozens of drafts, revisions with the editor, Adam's illustrations, and even printing and shipping from Malaysia. But from the mixed-media cover art to the closing tiger-print endpapers, Barnett and Rex's surreal digressions and visual humor ensure that the tale will not follow a straightforward course. (At one point, illiterate pirates hijack the story for a single spread before vamoosing because they don't read.) Rex's artwork features paper models and a painted globe in addition to the pencil-drawn figures, lending the work the three-dimensional texture of a puppet play. Some of the metafiction will befuddle most audiences, but the joke density in a volume that includes an arm-wrestling tiger and Ben Franklin scaling Philadelphia's city hall like King Kong will keep many readers flipping the pages. Barnett and Rex round out their absurdist look behind the scenes with a librarian-friendly reminder that finding a reader is what really makes a book. VERDICT This quirky exercise in self-reflexiveness offers a nugget of truth about the laborious process of producing books. Fans of these wacky creators will eat it up. Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY

Horn Book (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Barnett and Rex tongue-in-cheekily describe the process of creating a book. "Ideas can come at funny times," muses Barnett, shown as a cartoon character arm-wrestling a tiger. It only gets wackier from there, as the book being developed takes quite a journey. Rex's multidimensional art is full of detail and sly visual humor. Young audience members will love every over-the-top moment.

ALA Booklist (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Tiger endpapers are the tease to "explain" how author Barnett got his idea for this book (while arm wrestling with a tiger on a tower in California!). After many rewrites and "fixes," his editor in New York declares it time for the illustrator in Arizona to make the pictures. Numerous dotted red lines cover a map of America, showing how the manuscript goes back and forth before completion. Another dotted line curves around the globe to Malaysia, where the book is printed. The high pile of printed copies is visible to astronauts eating ice cream in space! Rex's illustrations of wide-eyed people and animals culminate in a ragtag crowd, including the now white-bearded author, waiting to read the book. The wildly comic artwork is made with black Prismacolor pencil on colored paper, acrylic paint on a globe, photography, and Photoshop. In this companion to Chloe and the Lion (2012), the popular duo has made another piece of clever metafiction (or, in this case, part meta-nonfiction) on how bookmaking works.

Kirkus Reviews

A book tells the story of how it was made.It all starts, of course, with an idea, which strikes Barnett while arm-wrestling a tiger. An initial "bunch of words on paper" goes through draft after draft, then finally the 21st version is sent to Barnett's editor ("like a teacher, only she works in a skyscraper"; she's white, as are Barnett and Rex). The negotiation between author and editor covers several pages (and "most of the United States," as dashed lines traverse the country, representing the back and forth). Finally, illustrator Rex receives Barnett's words, and here hysterical vignettes depict Rex sleeping and goofing off as the text says, "he must have been working very hard." At this point, the book starts to go off the rails, informing readers without explanation that even though it would be faster to print it in the United States, the book goes to China for printing. Then it really gets silly. First there's a pile of books so large it's visible from space (an ironic comment on small print runs that will mystify young readers), and then several pages of sheer looniness involving pirates and an eagle, among others, pad the story before readers finally finish it—which completes its creation. Rex's mixed-media illustrations keep up with the text and pack in plenty of chuckles, but sadly, the verbal embroidery obscures a topic kids might be genuinely interested in. Too funny for its own good. (Informational picture book. 5-9)