ALA Booklist (Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)

New experiences can be scary. How do you know exactly what to take or how to get ready? For the three young animals in this story, Marley, Ralph, and Cora, the answer is to take a trip to the Alpactory. Whether you need clothes, food, toys, supplies, or sports equipment, this factory devoted to high-level packing has it all! In illustrations created using acrylic, gouache, and charcoal pencils, mechanisms form fanciful mazes of tubes and machinery while multitudes of cute, cuddly alpacas work hard to meet their visitors' needs. Cora is going to camp, Ralph to a sleepover, and Marley is starting school. The alpacas pack so enthusiastically that they cannot lift the enormous bags. After thinking it over, the youngsters realize they already have what they truly need, because they are kind, brave, and funny. This comforting narrative acknowledges the anxiety inherent in trying something unfamiliar, then offers encouragement and reassurance. The final images depict Marley, Ralph, and Cora returning home, pleased with their successful adventures.

Kirkus Reviews

The Alpactory helps critters setting out on new adventures decide just what they need to take with them.A snake named Ralph worries about packing all the wrong things for a sleepover. A penguin named Marley fears a pencil shortage on the first day of school. And a guinea pig named Cora has "just too much stuff to pack" for an upcoming camping trip. Enter the Alpactory, an alpaca-operated business designed to provide "packing and preparation services for all experiences." Alpaca Nigel welcomes Ralph, Marley, and Cora to the Alpactory, promising them its workers know "just what you'll need, guaranteed!" Inside the facility, teams of alpacas select and pack all the right things, including books to prevent loneliness, flashlights to ward off the dark, familiar items to prevent homesickness, clothing for all weather, and even snacks and toys. Unfortunately, Ralph, Marley, and Cora can't budge their now completely overstuffed suitcases and backpacks, prompting them to reassess what they really need for their new adventures. Humorous, bustling, colorful cartoon illustrations rendered in neat black outlines brim with bevies of wide-eyed, energetic alpacas and fascinating machines selecting, testing, and packing an array of "stuff" on endless conveyors and long assembly lines. Like Ralph, Marley, and Cora, readers should find their Alpactory visit an entertaining one.A humorous reminder that all we really need is already within us. (Picture book. 4-7)

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

Ralph, a snake, is going on a sleepover. Marley, a penguin, is preparing for the first day of school. And Cora, a small rodent with buck teeth, has a big camping trip in store. But with new adventures comes plenty of anxiety, too: Ralph copes by covering himself in underwear from head to toe, Harley hoards pencils, and Cora lies prone on her sleeping bag. Will they ever feel ready? The Alpactory promises to assuage new-experience anxieties with a crack alpaca team that stuffs suitcases, backpacks, and duffels with items that anticipate every possibility, from homesickness-fighting mementos to clothes for each weather pattern and activity. The punny premise is lightly proffered, acknowledging the stressfulness of the unfamiliar while gently assuring readers that by being -brave and kind and funny,- they-re well equipped for the unknown. Chan (The Great Indoors), as skillful a wielder of adorableness as ever, employs digitally finished acrylic, gouache, and charcoal drawings that enable readers to join Ralph, Marley, and Cora on a tour of the titular workplace. It-s a busy setting filled with twisty tubes of colorful potions, assembly lines, shelves stocked to the ceiling with supplies, and fanciful machines that simulate style-cramping weather conditions while hitting a sweet spot that-s goofy, endearing, and good-hearted. Ages 4-8. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Apr.)

School Library Journal (Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)

K-Gr 2 What is an Alpactory? A factory where they make alpacas? Nope. At the Alpactory, friendly alpacas help a young snake get ready for a sleepover, an adorable penguin pack a backpack for the first day of school, and a gerbil prepare for a camping trip. By the end of the tour of this quirky factory, the animal children realize that all they really need for a trip is themselves. There is no need to worry about leaving things behind: They will find what they truly need along the way. The book, with a title that is a triple portmanteau of alpaca, pack, and factory, is initially a daunting experience itself, but its heartwarming message comes through. The jacket flap gently explains the book's concept to readers, even as the book's barcode is about to be packed away. The book's illustrations are busy and vibrant. The Alpactory's wacky employees are tons of fluffy fun, with different hairstyles and shades of fur. Environments, like the alpaca's suitcases, are jam-packed with details and the animal's expressions are lively. Readers will want to visit the Alpactory even if they're not going on a trip. VERDICT This colorful new spin on anxiety management strategies is a great addition to any collection. Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA