The Bruce Swap

April 15, 2021
Bruce the bear is not fun. He doesn't like biking fast or making sculptures out of yogurt or dismounting from branches like an Olympic gymnast. And he definitely doesn't like fun visits from friends and family. Bruce's family loves Bruce, but they wish he were just a little more fun--that is, until they meet Bruce's cousin Kevin, who looks just like Bruce (except for Bruce's trademark scowl) but acts nothing like him. Bruce doesn't know about Kevin's visit, so he isn't home when Kevin arrives. When Kevin shows up and introduces himself to Bruce's immediate family--which consists of a motley crew of earnest mice and forever-hungry geese--he stages a candy fight, orders 26 pizzas, and turns the house into an indoor pool. When a minibus full of Kevin's friends pulls up in front of the house, the fun goes a little too far. The mice and geese begin to miss their beloved, unfun bear--and to appreciate the need to be unfun, at least some of the time. The story's textured, cartoon illustrations employ panels, speech bubbles, and an endearingly drawn cast of woodland characters to build humor into unexpected moments and to give the plot momentum. The dialogue is cheeky and conversational, deftly tucking clever jokes for adults between lines that clearly appeal to children. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-24-inch double-page spreads viewed at 41.7% of actual size.) A gentle, silly picture book about balancing fun and responsibility. (Picture book. 3-8)

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October 22, 2021
Grades K-3 Readers will be delighted to return to 13 Go Away Lane, where grumpy-bear Bruce resides with his family of mice and geese--one of which has a penchant for eating mail. Thus, no one sees the letter announcing the imminent arrival of Bruce's Cousin Kevin or the note Bruce leaves on his way out for some early morning fishing. While Bruce is away, Cousin Kevin shows up and the clueless housemates mistake the visitor for Bruce's doppelg�nger, as this nearly identical but fun-loving bear doesn't mind messes, instigates candy fights, and floods the living room to make an indoor pool. Kevin's antics eventually escalate to the point where they are no longer fun for the others, and they breathe a sigh of relief when Kevin hops back on the bus out of town and the real Bruce returns. Hale's boisterous illustrations and speech-bubble dialogue truly capture the unfolding chaos and the animals' realizations that you can have too much of a good thing and Bruce's preference for calm and orderliness keeps their lives nicely balanced.

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