From Publishers Weekly
An opportune moment arrives during feeding time at the zoo, and Marvin the ape (whose suitcase has been packed in preparation) has "slipped out." He proceeds to take in the sights, sounds and tastes of New York City, thrilled at his every turn. The peripatetic primate manages to elude the police who are looking for him as--amazingly--he fits into any crowd unnoticed. With the odds in his favor, Marvin savors his new life of freedom. Though the Buehners' text amounts to little more than a typical tourist's agenda, their vocabulary choices and turns of phrase imbue this romp with an appealing sense of wonder. Mark Buehner's ( The Adventures of Taxi Dog ) oil and acrylic paintings brim with kinetic energy. He employs varying perspectives to great effect as Marvin swings from tree branches, rides the Staten Island ferry and scales an apartment building's facade. The ape's facial expressions and the reactions--and non-reactions--of the people around him provide a wry wit that makes the story almost believable, despite its silly premise. Of particular note is Buehner's skill in depicting sunlight and shadow, and his clever use of big-city details. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-- One day `` . . . when the zookeeper wasn't looking, Marvin . . . slipped out.'' The adventuresome ape proceeds to sample the delights of the city, going to the art museum, the movies, and a ball game. In the thickly painted caricatures of New York, Marvin, riding the subway or ordering the jungle fruit platter in a restaurant, is both amusing and surprisingly at home. The humor turns on the fact that big city dwellers rarely look at one another. Children will be in on the joke, which makes them smarter than the police, the zookeeper, and the other people. However, the minimal text does not make the most of the idea. Usually one line placed in the center of a blank page facing the picture, the narrative tends to define the illustration rather than enhance or extend it. These pictures are lively enough to need no definition. In a not unexpected twist to the end, back at the zoo, Helvetica the hippo dashes out when the keeper's head is turned. While Marvin is a sly blend of ape and human, the purple hippo is not as immediately believable, but who knows . . . if she buys a nice flowered dress, she will probably fit right in with the other ladies out for an afternoon of shopping. While not a necessary purchase, this will nevertheless produce a few chuckles. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
