ALA Booklist (Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Award winners Barnett and Liwska team up to depict two bears traveling to wonderful places. When one falls off his skateboard, he is "blue," and when the skateboard breaks in half, he is "purple" with sobbing. The companions jump off the slide into a pool, play in the mud, laze in a rowboat, and sneak cookies. There is also humor: intent on his cell phone, the brown bear isn't careful and steps into a manhole. Next page: a place to be "bored" (in traction in a hospital bed, with a broken leg). Barnett offers some unusual vocabulary (awestruck, beastly, sullen, jubilant) showing the furry animals displaying a wide range of emotions. The artwork is created in brush and ink and "digital hocus-pocus." Details in soft pastels with blurred borders and ample white space illuminate activities celebrating some open-ended possibilities in a young child's life. And, a happy ending: the pals build a new skateboard and wheel off together. It's a sweet and gentle contrast to Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Kirkus Reviews

Two ungendered fox siblings—or perhaps friends—have all sorts of places to be."Hurry up! We have places to be," calls a brown fox to a smaller, blue fox. A hill to speed down on a bike is a place "to be loud"; a worm-filled patch of earth is a place "to be muddy." There's a place "to be beastly"—a seesaw the brown fox holds down at one end, singing (barely visible musical notes hover), forcing the blue fox to struggle to mount the seesaw's high side. The next place, naturally, is a place "to be mad." Observant readers will see scene connections that the text never mentions, such as the cause and effect of "places to be careful"—they walk, riveted by their cellphones, near an uncovered manhole—and "places to be bored," which shows the brown fox's leg in traction. The fate of the brown fox's skateboard is also undiscussed in the text: the board breaks early on at the skate park, and that arc finds late satisfaction. These subtle threads create continuity inside an otherwise episodic, poetic piece. The brown fox and the blue fox are close—the blue fox even seems more "jubilant" to see the brown fox approaching than to see fireworks, though the ice cream that the brown fox carries may also be relevant. Low-saturation colors make for a peaceful vibe, while Liwska's brush-and-ink crosshatchings render the foxes' fur constantly windblown, adding bustle and energy. Funny and gentle. (Picture book. 4-8)

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

Barnett (The Magic Word) can be laugh-out-loud funny, but this sweet-tempered ode to friendship tips its hat to gentler classics like A Hole Is to Dig. -Hurry up! We have places to be,- Barnett writes, as the two fuzzy bears race down a road on a bike and skateboard. From there, he unleashes a stream of emotions and states of being that offer a many-sided portrait of what friendships look like. -We have places to be careful,- he writes as Liwska (Waiting for Snow) pictures the bears walking and texting, one heading for an open manhole. -We have places to be bored- shows the same bear laid up in a leg cast (the other rides a Ferris wheel outside). Other cause-and-effect vignettes appear throughout, captured with warm humor in Liwska-s soft brush-and-ink artwork. Neither bear is braver or better than the other; sometimes one knows what to do, sometimes the other takes the lead. In this cozy readaloud, friends stay true to each other no matter what. Ages 4-8. Author-s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator-s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Apr.)

School Library Journal (Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

PreS-Gr 1Two young bear friends go on many adventures. The cubs can be seen staring upward and observing shapes in the sky. They help an older bear after he drops his groceries. They sneak a few cookies in a hiding spot. The bears also tell stories, build things, and take part in a variety of other daily activities. Throughout, the friends express and share a range of feelings, such as happiness, sorrow, tension, and joy. The book's whimsical pastel artwork provides a dreamlike feel, and the use of curved lines adds a sense of movement and dimension. The characters' expressions pair well with the words chosen to illustrate each scene. This work highlights the beauty and complex nature of friendship. The soothing narrative shows friendship as constant despite changing circumstance. VERDICT This winning read-aloud can be used to encourage friendship in young children.Deanna Smith, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY