Starred Review ALA Booklist (Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Starred Review In this sequel to Traction Man Is Here (2005), the boy who plays with his action figure Traction Man receives a present: Turbodog, advertised as "Traction Man's Faithful New Companion," a battery-run, robotic dog that speaks the same two phrases over and over. Traction Man already has a sidekick, a trusty scrubbing brush that accompanies him on his adventures, even venturing up smelly Mt. Compost Heap and across "the swampy marshes" in the backyard. When Scrubbing Brush goes missing (the boy's father finds the brush extremely unhygienic), Turbodog's deficiencies soon become apparent. Grey's colorful, imaginative paintings offer more than a reflection of the text. Beyond the narrative and illustration of Traction Man's adventures, observant children will sense the boy's consciousness in guiding his play and, beyond that, his father's interference at one point and unspoken apology at another. Children can enjoy the book as a good adventure reflecting the way they play, while those who put the visual clues together will also see real-world cause and effect in the boy's make-believe alternative world. Parents can infer the relative values of imagination versus cleanliness in their children's lives. Created with wit and finesse, this picture book is fun for reading aloud and rewarding on many levels.

Kirkus Reviews

Anyone who has read Traction Man Is Here (2005) knows that the toy action-figure's beloved pet Scrubbing Brush could never, ever be replaced by the battery-operated "generic robotic hound" TurbodogTM. No, Traction Man needs Scrubbing Brush. Turbodog can't even cross the wastes of the Sandpit without gumming up his works or sneak up on Tiddles the cat without blurting "STOP INTRUDER!" Where is Scrubbing Brush, anyway? The muck-ridden brush has been jettisoned into the Dark and Terrible Underworld of the Bin, from whence nothing has ever returned alive. Traction Man, hearing a cry from said Bin, braves angry fries and spaghetti with eyes ("Ssssstay with usssss") to save him. "No one smothers my brave pet with vegetable peel!" Traction Man proclaims protectively, and almost everyone lives happily ever after. Comic-bookstyle frames with captions on torn-out bits of graph paper can only loosely contain the ebulliently superheroic adventures of one boy's toys. Hilarious details lurk throughout, and readers won't want to miss even one. (Picture book. 6-9)

Horn Book (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

After ascending Mt. Compost Heap, Scrubbing Brush is tossed into the trash by a conniving villain. Our hero Traction Man (Traction Man Is Here!) is stuck instead with new sidekick Turbodog, whose outbursts don't lend themselves to stealth. Grey extends the first book's irreverent wit and affection for its characters, as the cartoon art follows Traction Man on his quirky expeditions.

Starred Review for Publishers Weekly

Introduced in <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Traction Man Is Here! Grey's much-lauded superhero is back, and his firm, square jaw shows no signs of weakening. But something's gone terribly wrong: after a dramatic climb to the top of Mt. Compost Heap, Traction Man's faithful pet, Scrubbing Brush, has disappeared (Mom and Dad—how could you?). Rescuing Scrubbing Brush will take everything Traction Man's got—as well as the help of the annoying robot Turbodog, a trio of naked fashion dolls and a big bottle of household cleaner called Germo. Grey's prose, a clever mélange of overwrought and ironic, is a joy to read aloud (“Traction Man squirts the Bin-Things with Germo and they hiss and wither”). But her real gift is in transforming an ordinary household into both thrilling stage and supporting cast (who knew an old mascara wand could be so emotive?). To create a fantasy world is one thing, but to trigger a gestalt shift in the way kids look at their own environments is quite another. A keeper. Ages 4–8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

School Library Journal (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

PreS-Gr 3 The ruggedly handsome action figure introduced in Traction Man Is Here! (Knopf, 2005) has returned, accompanied by his faithful pet, Scrubbing Brush. In high-energy, mixed-media panels and full-bleed spreads, the hero and his sidekick ascend a compost heap and pass through the "ring of Mystic Shrooms," directed by a Yoda-like potato: "Bow low you must." On their return to civilization, Scrubbing Brush is sucked into the muddy quagmire near the backyard pond. While the dynamic duo's owner is resting, his father does what well-meaning parents doreplaces the filthy brush with the shiny new plastic Turbodog. Soon enough boy and man tire of the flashing wannabe pet. Hearing cries from the "Underworld of the [Trash] Bin," Traction Man dons his Astro-Suit and arms himself with a spray bottle of SuperStrong Germo. After a successful mission and a good, long soak, all of the characters share a candlelit campfire, complete with marshmallows, courtesy of Dad. Grey is clearly in tune with the fun to be had with an alter ego and a pile of dirt, a mountain of laundry, and the "Grand Sofa Canyon." Her inventive scenes celebrate the joy in equipping a doll for adventure and re-envisioning the everyday. The perspectives shift in order to give readers a bird's-eye view of the boy and the terrain of his yard or close-ups of the imagined world. Brimming with tongue-in-cheek humor, delicious language, and ideas sure to propel viewers to their toy boxes, Grey proves that one doesn't need batteries to have a rollicking good time. Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library