ALA Booklist (Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2016)

Ivy and Bean author Barrows turns her sights to younger readers in her picture-book debut about an observant little boy trying to be heard. John Marco, brown-skinned and adorably missing a tooth, tries to share the amazing things he sees each day with the grown-ups he knows (older siblings, parents, a neighbor, etc.), but everyone is too busy to pay him any attention. This becomes a serious problem when he notices a tree beginning to fall in the front yard of his home. John dashes around trying to warn everyone, the increasingly large text reflecting the urgency in his voice, but to no avail. It's not until the tree crashes down that they finally listen to the little boy. Lemon really zeroes in on how John sees and experiences the world, while packing in situational humor as well. This text is ripe for discussions with children who find themselves around busy adults and feel the need to ask questions and express themselves. An engaging, playful, and relatable story that is pertinent to today's nonstop lifestyles.

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

John Marco is a vivid reporter on the world around him. He-s just seen a large grasshopper with eyes -all black and bulgy,- he tells his four older siblings, -and I could hear it chew, like this, ch-ch-ch.- But because he-s little, -nobody listened,- writes Barrows (the Ivy and Bean series), making her picture book debut-not even when he sees an orange cat who -went prrr-rrup.- When a tree in his front yard begins -falling down very slowly, but it was definitely falling down,- John Marco decides that this time he is not going to be ignored. Lemon (Emma and Muse) draws the protagonist with his gap-toothed mouth wide open and arms outstretched, his T-shirt riding up to reveal his navel. The tree, meanwhile, is never shown in full-length -Timber!- mode; instead, Lemon focuses on a dense cluster of leafy branches that take over more and more of each page, and a discombobulated owl who survives the descent. It-s a magical portrayal of one of those strange and giddy moments that makes an indelible impression on one-s imagination. Best of all, it succeeds in proving that John Marco (and what he notices) is worth everyone-s attention. Ages 3-5. (Oct.)

School Library Journal (Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

PreS-Gr 2 Young John Marco notices really amazing things in his daily life but unfortunately nobody in his big, bustling family wants to hear about them. He is rebuffed by his neighbor, Mr. Jordy, when he tries to tell him about the mind-blowing things he discovered digging in the mud. He next tries to chat with his mother about a very fat orange cat in the neighborhood but his mom is way too busy multitasking to give John Marco the attention he requires. In an unexpected twist, the little chap notices that a tree in his front yard is slowly falling down so he yells for all to come see it. At first, they don't believe him and then just like that, the tree comes crashing down. The book ends with that same orange cat telling the crowd that they should pay more attention; "Like John Marco does." Lemon's full-bleed digital illustrations are colorful and expansive and lend themselves to a storytime sharing. VERDICT This is a quirky tale that many little ones will relate to. An optional purchase. Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI