ALA Booklist (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Patrick is a feisty little bear who likes neither peas nor bathing, but with the good-natured coaching of his parents, he manages both these tasks as well as helping out in the garden least he thinks he's helping d getting to sleep on a scary night. Hayes (Benny and Penny, 2008) is an experienced children's author and illustrator and knows just how to give emerging readers a fun, literacy-building sequential-art narrative. With panels varying in size and shape, the artwork-filled pages burst with the bear family's expressive faces, actions, and postures and with colorful and lovingly detailed settings that range from a lush garden to an abundantly bubbly bath. Patrick's songs, escaping horde of uneaten peas, and his parents' asides to each other give each vignette a healthy dose of humor beyond the events of the story. Another win in TOON's lineup of kid-friendly comics.

Horn Book

The delightful bear who pleased new readers in Patrick in a Teddy Bear's Picnic and Other Stories is back for four more short homey adventures--eating veggies, helping Daddy, bathing, and preparing for bed. The comic format and approachable vocabulary make this book eminently suited for beginning readers. Hayes's detailed, expressive illustrations and childlike sense of fun complete the package.

Kirkus Reviews

Four more minitales (Patrick: A Teddy Bear's Picnic and Other Stories, 2011) take the irrepressible ursine from mealtime to bathtime to bedtime, with a side venture out into the yard to "help" daddy rake leaves. In the opener, the round-eared, red-nosed tyke initially regards the peas on his plate as "little green balls of MUSHY POISON!" but after negotiations, he ultimately downs them with generous helpings of ketchup and jelly as his revolted ("Yuck!") but indulgent mother looks on. Misadventures with a weeding fork, a water hose, bath toys and large quantities of bubble bath follow--capped at last with much protestation and foot dragging on the way to bed. Underscoring all this cozy domesticity, the anthropomorphic Patrick and his parents look like teddy bears with a certain amount of koala in their DNA. The stubby figures, pale colors and soft-edged lines on view in Hayes' sequential scenes hark back to Lillian Hoban's illustrations for her (then) husband Russell's classic A Bargain for Frances (1970) and its sequels. Another charmer from the reliable Hayes; newly independent readers won't need any condiments to gobble it down. (Graphic easy reader. 4-6)

School Library Journal (Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

LINIERS, Ricardo . The Big Wet Balloon . Sept. 2013. ISBN 978-1-9351-7932-0 . LC 2012047662. ea vol: illus by author. 32p. Toon Bks. RTE $12.95. PreS-Gr 2 These books explore the ups and downs of family life. In Peas , four chapters show Patrick and his parents in humorous conflict over vegetables, chores, baths, and bedtime. Patrick's imaginative naughtiness comes alive in Hayes's detailed colored pencil drawings, and the young bear's antics may remind readers of Calvin, Dennis the Menace, and other comic scamps. In Balloon , an older sister exuberantly bosses her younger sister in a series of rainy-day escapades, while Liniers's ink and watercolor illustrations convey each of the sisters' emotions, from enthusiasm to trepidation and even gleeful disgust at mucky worms. These easy readers feature familiar environments, a limited number of characters, and vocabulary that will gently challenge young readers with words like "beautiful" and sound effects like "burble burble." While the expressive thought bubbles, dynamic panel layouts, and perfect pacing make both titles enjoyable first comics, they may be even more successful in beginning-reader collections serving younger children. Sarah Stone, San Francisco Public Library