ALA Booklist (Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Ira Crumb knows he's a pretty good friend. He takes people's feelings into consideration, looks out for them, and t to mention 's pretty cool! But Ira is nervous. With a new school year in a new school looming just around the corner, Ira knows that soon he'll just be the new kid, and he won't have any friends. So Ira sets off on a brilliant plan to make friends before the school year starts. Through crisp and comics-like illustrations, rendered in bold colors and exaggerated shapes, young readers are shown the many ways Ira tries to make new friends and how, through misunderstandings, his attempts don't always work out. Luckily, thanks to one misunderstanding, Ira makes a big impression on a new friend who is just as fun and silly as he is. With colorful, cartoonish artwork and large conversation bubbles filled with easy-to-read dialogue, this story of a boy's anxiety about making friends will show readers that, many times, the best way to make a friend is to be yourself! A fast and fun read.

Kirkus Reviews

Ira Crumb is "trustworthy, super helpful, and also really fun to be around"—but, having just moved, he is also "The New Kid."All Ira's considerable confidence is put to the test by the prospect of having no friends on the first day of school. He decides to take pre-emptive action and "make friends BEFORE the first day of school." Campaign signs and a lemonade stand attract attention, but learning that he's serving pickles with his cheese sandwiches turns off potential friends. (The pickle's frowny face echoes Ira's dismay as the kids walk away.) A dance-off also fails to win him a friend, as does displaying huge quantities of cool. Readers will notice that one kid, a light-blue rabbit, seems interested in meeting Ira; his friendly overture goes for naught when Ira thinks his sandwich is talking to him instead. But on the first day of school, the rabbit, whose name is Malcolm, clears up the confusion, and a friendship is born. Hrab's debut comes packed with wry whimsy that's ably matched by Holinaty's visuals. His characters are notably diverse, including talking animals such as Malcolm and animate foodstuffs as well as humans; Ira himself is a brown-skinned boy with a poof of black hair under his hoodie. The figures' video-game aesthetic humorously emphasizes Ira's competitive approach to friendship. A valuable lesson in friendship, with walking pickles on the side. (Picture book. 4-8)

School Library Journal (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

PreS-Gr 2What's worse than starting school again in September? Starting school as the new kid. But Ira Crumb has a plan! He is convinced that he makes a pretty good friend, and comedy ensues as he tries to prove his point over and over again with no success, but his attempts will have young readers chuckling. Ira is so excited to become friends with someone that he starts interacting with readers right on the front cover of the book, shouting out "Hiii!" in a large speech bubble. Ira can also be impatient, as evidenced on the book's front flap, where he implores readers to "turn the page already, and let's be besties!" Even though Ira has all the makings of a great best friend, his over-the-top enthusiasm wreaks havoc with his friendship attempts. Turns out the other kids don't like pickles (Ira loves them), exuberant dance-offs, or feigned indifference. Cartoonish illustrations feature human and nonhuman characters, and the inclusion of speech bubbles and split-page illustrations give a comic-book flair to Ira's quest. A miscommunication among Ira, Malcolm, and a talking sandwich named Phillip will have young readers giggling as they get the joke before Ira does, leading to satifying tension when, on the first day of school, a gloomy Ira is told to sit next to Malcolm! Readers will be happy to predict what comes next: the makings of a pretty good friendship indeed. VERDICT A fast-moving text that speaks to the fear children have about being the new kid anywhere in life, this title will be especially welcome on the shelves for back-to-school storytimes and shared readings.Lisa Kropp, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY