Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Marley is determined to find the special egg at the Easter egg hunt. After wreaking havoc in the park and the shops across the street, the ill-mannered pup finally jumps on the mayor, knocks off his hat, and finds the egg. The story suffers from cheesy language ("eggceptional!") and a tired plot line; generic illustrations burst with spring-y pastel colors.

Kirkus Reviews

Yet another story about Marley the misbehaving Labrador retriever; here he runs rampant through the town Easter egg hunt. Marley's been running away from his family and into mischief in a rapidly growing collection of Marley children's books, spinoffs of Grogan's best-selling book for adults. Though Grogan's name appears on the cover and title page, the text for this story is actually written by Natalie Engel on his behalf. The frenetic plot follows Marley and his family as they participate in the Easter egg hunt, trying to find one extra-large egg hidden by the town's mayor. Marley crashes and bashes his way around town, breaking raw eggs and covering himself in confetti and ribbons as he tries to capture the special egg prize and his family tries to capture him. In an odd conclusion, the mayor virtually hands Marley the winning egg, which was illogically and improbably concealed in the mayor's top hat. The illustrations convey lots of activity, with cheery Marley in constant motion, though the slapstick humor tries too hard to be funny, and human characters are largely devoid of personality. Even a well-loved, popular main character can't save a story with frantic action, lame jokes and a plodding plot. (Picture book. 3-6)

School Library Journal (Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

K-Gr 2 The irrepressible and badly behaved golden Labrador is back for a spring adventure. His family is participating in the town's annual Easter Egg Hunt, but manic Marley isn't having much luck. He is always beaten to the eggs by children. He extends his search beyond the park and into the market, breaking and getting covered by a dozen raw eggs. The canine next visits the baker and ruins the cake he is frosting. A trip to a party store results in Marley being covered in ribbons. His hapless family and the irritated merchants chase him back to the park where the mayor is asking whether anyone found the special "eggstraordinary" egg. For some reason the mayor hid it under his hat, and in a twist that does not make much sense, Marley finds it, making him the winner of the festivities. The illustrations are unremarkable, and the wordy story isn't all that amusing. Strictly a marginal purchase. B. Allison Gray, Goleta Public Library, CA

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

In Marley-s sixth picture book, the dog is (very) eager to participate in the town-s Easter egg hunt: -He wasn-t sure what an Easter egg hunt was, but he knew he wanted to be in the middle of it!- With his beleaguered family racing behind him, Marley tears through park and town, trying to find the one -very special egg- that-s been hidden along with the rest. In true Marley fashion, he makes a mess as he goes, getting covered in egg yolks, purple icing, and streamers-winding up looking like a -very special egg- himself. Fans of Marley-s exuberant canine antics will enjoy this messy holiday outing. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)