An entertaining mashup of picture book, graphic novel, and seek & find styles - Pablo and Jane and the Hot Air Contraption is a thrill ride. The title characters are stuck inside on a rain day with nothing to do. They've already explored everything fun in their neighborhood such as the ruined asylum and the haunted orphanage. Unless the Cat in the Hat shows up with Thing 1 and Thing 2, what else can they find to amuse themselves? Armed with their flashlights, the pair venture out into the rain and discover the contraption. Once they climb on board, they are whisked away to ... well, let's say "different" places. Places like Lopsided London, Terrifying Transylvania, and the Bone-Chilling Bayou. In each location they must find parts to help repair the hot air contraption or they will never make it home!
This is great for fans of I Spy and Look & Find books or humorous adventures in graphic novel style. The story is told in comic book style panels up to the point where the contraption takes off, then there are 2-page spreads for each wild place that the kids visit and the reader must help them search for the missing parts. I can't keep the I Spy and similar types of books on the library shelves, so I know this will be popular for the same reasons. The zany comics style adventure will pull in the graphic novel/manga crowd. And the hot air contraption will appeal to the makerspace group. (Is that a hat trick - getting all three types of readers with one title?)
The publisher was kind enough to send me a copy of the book for review purposes.
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