Tumble Bumble by Felicia Bond, Felicia Bond (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

A tiny bug goes for a walk, but it's no ordinary stroll. Soon he bumps into a cat, then a crocodile, and even a baby pig! More creatures join in, until they tippy-toe into a mysterious yellow house belonging to a young boy, who happily tumble bumbles right along with them. In this charming cumulative tale, Felicia Bond takes readers on a rhythmic adventure that counts new friends up to ten.

Publishers Weekly

One by one, 10 friendly charactersfrom a pig to a toad to a mousefall in step with one another in this lively sequential rhyme. The introductions start with "a tiny bug" (an ant, actually) who "went for a walk./ He met a cat and stopped to talk." Bug and cat soon encounter a green crocodile, this threesome meets a bee, and so on. Bond, illustrator of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, effectively plans her story's progression. Readers can easily name and number the members of the group, particularly when seven of them sneak into a boy's house ("tippy-toeing on fourteen feet"), fix themselves a snack and peek around the corner of a door so that just their 14 eyes are visible. Bond then steers the animals toward a midday nap; the book serves double duty as counting game and bedtime story. Although the author/artist doesn't break new ground with her cheery watercolor palette and prankishly smiling characters, she knows the needs of her audienceand meets them handsomely. A childlike charmer. Ages 3-up. (Oct.)

Children's Literature

Ant believes that the more friends he gathers together, the merrier he will be. He greets each of his unusual friends and they all tumble, stumble, bounce and bump through the story. As the party progresses, Ant and his friends discover what they believe is an abandoned house. They check for bears in the closet and find none there. However, when a bear does tumble in through the bedroom window, he snuggles right in bed with them! Finally, the owner of the bedroom, a young boy, enters his room to discover this wild menagerie of playmates. Readers will probably recognize Felicia Bond's illustration from the popular, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Give a Moose a Muffin. In this book, her drawings again revel in the humor provided by the text, and this time, the text is her own.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1Bond may be best known for illustrating Laura Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (HarperCollins, 1985), but this book is certainly a sign that her talent didn't end there. The plot of the charming counting book runs along cumulative lines as a bug goes for a walk and meets up with a cat, followed by a crocodile, a bee, a pig, a toad, and, finally, a mouse. The creatures' various adventures are described in lighthearted rhyme; they wander into a house and meet a spider, a bear, and, finally, a young boy. The tone throughout the bouncy text is cheerful and lively. The cartoon drawings are bright and fun, complementing the writing nicely. A sure bet for story hours.Melissa Hudak, North Suburban District Library, Roscoe, IL

Kirkus Reviews

A sly caper with a merry cast and fun that readers can count on. "A tiny bug went for a walk./He met a cat and stopped to talk." Bug and cat bump into a crocodile, her friend the bee, and a baby pig (" `Oink!' he squealed. `That was my tail!'/They apologized to no avail."). They startle a big green toad and scare a baby mouse who bumps into a yellow house, which they all enter, then, "Tippy-toeing on fourteen feet," they "tumble bumble" up the stairs and into an empty bed, first checking around for bears. A spider, then a bear, joins them, making nine, followed by a little boy, who opens his bedroom door to become the tenth in this group of new friends. Delicate, jaunty pictures make a companionable match.

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