  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 11/15/2008 Wagner and Pearl return in three episodes taking place on April Fools’ Day. In the first, Wagner is duped by one joke after another. In the second, he tries to learn to dance in gym class but ends up dejected, sitting on the sidelines while Pearl struts her stuff. In the third, he creates a prank to get the last laugh on his classmates. Alley’s expressive ink-and-watercolor illustrations portray Wagner’s shifting emotions with clarity and finesse. McMullen shows clearly why many children have mixed feelings about April Fools’ Day. A brightly illustrated book in the Pearl and Wagner beginning-reader series. - Copyright 2008 Booklist. School Library Journal - 03/01/2009 Gr 1–3— In this delightful addition to a solid series, fluent beginning readers will identify with Wagner's April Fools' Day of frustration and satisfaction. In the first chapter, the mouse is fooled by his friend Pearl, his teacher, the librarian, and the cafeteria menu. Then he hopes that the announcement of a math test is another trick, only to discover that "It's for real." Next, Mr. Jumper holds a dance contest during a rainy recess in the gym. Pearl dazzles everyone with her jitterbug and Lulu hip-hops with some "smooth moves," but when Wagner boogies down he falls on his behind. In the third chapter, Wagner asks to visit the school nurse. He returns to class covered with green spots and announces that he has "a bad case of bug pox" and that it's catching. After several loud sneezes, he exclaims, "Ah...ah...ah...April fools!" McMullan's exquisitely crafted story has an endearing blend of humor, humiliation, friendship, and familiar school scenarios. Done in pen and ink, watercolor, and colored pencil, Alley's distinguished illustrations feature a variety of expressive animal characters whose kinesthetic expressions cheerfully depict many of the happenings.—Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI - Copyright 2009 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2009 Wagner the mouse is actually having not a funny day but a terrible day. After oversleeping and arriving late to school, he finds himself the butt of a slew of April Fool’s pranks, and he just doesn’t see the humor. In the second chapter, he gets fooled in the other direction when his good friend Pearl the rabbit chooses Bud as her dance-contest partner over Wagner (“‘April fools, right?’ said Wagner. ‘No,’ said Pearl. ‘For real’”). Finally, though, Wagner gets into the swing of things, faking a highly contagious illness that is spread by sneezing and ending the story with a loud, “Ah . . . ah . . . ah . . . April fools!” This latest in the Pearl and Wagner series (see Pearl and Wagner: Three Secrets, BCCB 9/04) focuses less on the duo’s friendship than on Wagner’s personal predicament. McMullen is successful at presenting the seriousness of that situation to the readers, who will definitely empathize with the frustration, hurt, and, ultimately, satisfaction that Wagner feels throughout the short chapters. Alley uses a combination of pen, ink, and watercolor to illustrate an expressive and carefully characterized animal cast. There is lots of contrast among the characters and abundant emotion detailed in their facial expressions, and the compositions are imbued with energy and movement. The short sentences and easygoing dialogue in combination with the detailed illustrations make this an excellent choice for early readers, and many among this group are likely to relate to Wagner’s not-so-funny feelings about his not-so-funny day. HM - Copyright 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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