Mitsy may be itsy, but she has no shortage of energy or determination. She's also a sartorial standout, wearing lime green, dinosaur-style footie/hoodie pajamas and bright orange goggles. But what matters most is that she intends to run away to "the perfect place where there is no bedtime ever, not even one." And she will—it's just that Dad keeps making excellent suggestions about things she should add to her suitcase. Told she'll need a friend, she packs her stuffed dinosaur. Told she'll need a snack, she packs the contents of the refrigerator. Eventually, she's packed her entire house, yard and all, and even Dad, because, as she points out with her remaining patience, "Little girls don't mow lawns. Grown-ups do!" Debut talent Allen, an animator and character designer, has a breezy drawing style and a cheery disdain for logic reminiscent of 1950s-era cartoons. Backgrounds are lightly sketched, scary "bedtime beasties" appear as dotted outlines, and Mitsy's declarations often appear in prim, vintage-looking borders. Yet the freewheeling art stays anchored by Allen's very funny text, which combines rhythmic, cumulative passages with Mitsy's irreverent, precocious voice. Ages 3–7. (May)
Mitsy may be itsy, but she has no shortage of energy or determination…. Debut talent Allen, an animator and character designer, has a breezy drawing style and a cheery disdain for logic reminiscent of 1950s-era cartoons…the freewheeling art stays anchored by Allen’s very funny text, which combines rhythmic, cumulative passages with Mitsy’s irreverent, precocious voice.”
—Publishers Weekly, March 21, 2011, *STAR
“Whether on a lap or in storytime, children will feel the pull of loose rhyme, pleasing momentum and mounting ridiculousness….Varied layouts, full of effective flourishes…highlight Mitsy’s panache and her father’s gentle manipulations. The irresistible tug of clever language combines with visual pizzazz to make this runaway story a runaway hit.”
—Kirkus, April 1, 2011, *STAR
“Itsy Mitsy, a small girl in bright green pajamas, hates bedtime and decides to run away... The bright, minimalist cartoon illustrations are rendered in pencil with digital color, primarily using greens, yellows, and oranges. This entertaining story will appeal to any children who have fought against the dreaded bedtime.”
—School Library Journal, May 2011
“From the first page…this lively story will draw young preschoolers with its cumulative farce and sense of rebellion…The scenarios get wilder and wilder with each page turn, and the fantasy is extended in the hilariously detailed, pencil-and-digital illustrations…. Underlying the laughs, it’s the girl’s warm bond with her father that forms the heart of this high-spirited story.”
—Booklist, May 2011
K-Gr 2—Itsy Mitsy, a small girl in bright green pajamas, hates bedtime and decides to run away. Although her dad is sorry to see her go, he decides to "help." He suggests a variety of things that she will need to pack including Mister Roar, her stuffed dinosaur. Dinosaurs need to be fed, however, so Mitsy raids the refrigerator and heads off again, but not before Dad reminds her of the "bedtime beasties," so Mitsy packs "her ferocious dog, Puptart" (he looks anything but), for protection. And so it goes until Mitsy has packed the entire house, including Dad, to head off to where there are no bedtimes. Her joy in finding such a place is short-lived, though, and she soon falls asleep with one giant snore. The bright, minimalist cartoon illustrations are rendered in pencil with digital color, primarily using greens, yellows, and oranges. This entertaining story will appeal to any children who have fought against the dreaded bedtime.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA
Itsy Mitsy may be teeny tiny, but she has BIG issues with bedtime. Donning a dinosaur playsuit and driving goggles and straddling her trusty tricycle, she declares definitively, "No more bedtime. I'm gone." Each time she heads for the door, though, Dad asks a simple question that complicates her runaway plan, leading her to gather up more and more stuff to take along. These necessities (food for Mister Roar the dinosaur, Puptart the guard dog, a lamp so the doggy can see) quickly accumulate, piling up into a catchy chorus that repeats throughout. "She packed a lamp / to light up her pup / to bark at the beasts / to guard the snack / that she had packed / for friendliest dinosaur, / Mister Roar." Each additional item offers another opportunity for readers to giddily recite Mitsy's litany. Whether on a lap or in storytime, children will feel the pull of loose rhyme, pleasing momentum and mounting ridiculousness. Soon Mitsy's got the whole house on her little shoulders and Dad teetering on top. Varied layouts, full of effective flourishes (ornate Victorian speech bubbles, round and rectangular inset scenes, reappearing imaginary bedtime beasties) highlight Mitsy's panache and her father's gentle manipulations. The irresistible tug of clever language combines with visual pizzazz to make this runaway story a runaway hit. (Picture book. 2-6)
