The tooth fairy thinks he has a heavy head. His teddy bear says he likes hugs. But does anybody really know who Melvin Bubble is? Written and illustrated by Nick Bruel ( Bad Kitty and Boing! ), this riotous picture book has a lot to say about being six-and-a-half-years-old. Read this book and maybe you'll come up with your own ideas about who this kid with the funny name really is.... Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Bruel (Bad Kitty) proclaims, "This is Melvin Bubble," on the opening page, as a huge arrow hangs above the boy hero. Melvin looks friendly and unassuming enough, but according to the unseen narrator, the fellow remains a mystery, and the only way to find out the answer to the title question is to interview... well, anybody who will answer. What follows is a parade of characters, each one goofier and more improbable than the last, and all of whom reveal more about themselves than they do about Melvin. Dad calls him "smart, handsome, popular, a great athlete! Now that I think about it-he's just like me when I was his age!" His best friend thinks Melvin's "the coolest kid I know! He can whistle `The Itsy-Bitsy Spider' through his nose!" and the tooth fairy just wants to kvetch about how Melvin's big head makes it a real pain to leave coins under his pillow. The straight-man narrator's wry comments may be most appreciated by older readers (e.g., when a beautiful princess dreams of happily ever after with Melvin, the narrator says, "You may be thinking of someone else"). Bruel, as always, builds terrific comic momentum, and his broad cartooning is the definition of zany. Precocious raconteurs will probably get the biggest kick out of seeing how the characters' rants and soliloquies literally push the limits of their dialogue balloons. A read-aloud treat-and fine inspiration for classroom biographies. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

K-Gr 4-The author begins by sharing a letter from Melvin's friend, suggesting that Mr. Bruel write a book about his pal, so that everyone can know him. What follows are interviews with Melvin's family, dog, teddy bear, and other assorted characters, including Santa, "a big ugly monster with three eyes" that lives in the boy's closet, and a talking zebra. Each perspective is relayed in humorous monologues that, naturally, reveal more about the speakers than they do about the subject. Dad claims he's a "chip off the old block" as black-and-white photos of a clumsy, clueless parent contrast with similar shots in color of a talented, tender son. The zebra is too preoccupied with his fear of lions to think about anything else. (Readers who peek under the dust jacket will hear from a lion-an example of the attention paid to detail in the overall design.) It is Melvin's friend who shares something sure to endear the protagonist to children: "He can whistle `The Itsy-Bitsy Spider' through his nose!" Gigantic dialogue bubbles frame the text and the bold, watercolor caricatures animating the descriptions; the speakers report from the sidelines. In the end, the bespectacled, skinny kid with the baggy jeans gets his turn to talk. While teachers will find this a delightful choice for exploring point of view or the concept of identity, children will simply think it's great fun. The layered perspectives ultimately show that Melvin is one cool kid.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information