Tumblebaby

July 15, 2024
Rex (Oh No, the Aunts Are Here) lets his storytelling powers rip in a tale whose gleeful surrealism seems to draw on Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories among other tales of the American West. Tumblebaby, painted by Weber (The Wind and the Clover) in acrylic and gouache as a round, sleeping form wearing a purple onesie, floats and tumbles out of the house and into the path of two scoundrels who plot a kidnapping (“Free baby,” one notes). Before they know it, Tumblebaby’s innocent movements knock the duo into a puddle of mud, the first in a run of victories memorialized in verse: “Tumblebaby,/ fumblebaby,/ get ’em in a fuddle,/ muddy in a muddle/ in the middle/ of a puddle.” Soon, Tumblebaby gracefully defeats two coyotes and becomes the captain of a pack that travels about “doing good and making things right.” Tumblebaby next rolls through western U.S. landscapes, floating at the head of a line of coyotes, until tumbling home, “covered with stickers from various hotels and attractions.” Amid a fantastical, intentionally meandering plotline that embraces going where the wind blows, the story’s gonzo energy hurtles forward like a train. Human characters are portrayed with largely fanciful skin tones. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House.

August 15, 2024
A sleeping baby embarks on a variety of adventures. While many tales are intended to convince little ones that it's time to go to bed, this tale focuses on an infant who stays completely asleep while rolling out of the crib and out the door. Tumblebaby escapes scoundrels, becomes the Captain of the Coyotes, and travels through Oklahoma City, Kansas City, and Colorado City. After sleeping through winning the gold at the Winter Olympics, Tumblebaby rolls home "covered with stickers from various hotels and attractions." With a purple body and a kaleidoscopic head, this cherubim wobbles and somersaults through an unusual world that's vividly depicted with visible brushstrokes in gouache and acrylic paints. On Weber's double-page spreads, the baby ranges in size from tiny to enormous. Psychedelic text and illustrations move this tall tale along as quickly as a dream. Rhyming chants interspersed throughout will have readers reciting along ("Tumblebaby, / rumblebaby, / give a snout / a whack. / Serve 'em / humble pie / and you're / the leader / of the pack"). Though tonally the story feels like a fable of yore, more modern topics, such as characters building a community center in Colorado City, are folded in. Right on the edge of nonsense, this book will surely spark curiosity among young readers. A satisfying tumble through the imagination.(Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2024
In Rex's fantastical tale, a baby tumbles out the door and around the world without once waking up. Tumblebaby's rollicking escapade involves besting scoundrels and coyotes (and then leading those coyotes to rescue people from a fire and build a community center), as well as grabbing the gold at the Winter Olympics. Rex's lighthearted, folksy storytelling is full of infectious humor, such as when a small coyote tries to bite the baby and ends up getting "a mouthful of diaper" instead. Bouncy rhymes occasionally break up the narrative, neatly summing up and moving the story forward ("Tumblebaby hi, / Tumblebaby ho, / Tumblebaby fly / down the driveway / and go"). Pithy homespun aphorisms add bigger-picture observations, such as "money comes and money goes." The surreal nonsense is brought to life in Weber's whimsical, color-saturated gouache and acrylic paintings, which feature a purple Tumblebaby with a multicolored face and curved shapes that give a sense of tumbling movement. Ultimately, Tumblebaby returns home to their parents (shown only as pairs of hands, one beige set and one green). "And that baby? That was you...People always forget the things they did when they were babies." This absurd, dreamlike story's intriguing premise may provoke further imagining from young readers and listeners. Emily Reid Green

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 20, 2024

Gr 1-3-Tumblebaby isn't fenced in by a crib or closed doors. They are free to tumble about the house and right out the front door. Mama says, "everybody's got to make their own way in life," and Tumblebaby does that in spades. A whimsical and humorous tall tale about a free-spirited baby who rolls out into the world, outwitting kidnappers, leading coyotes, and even winning Olympic gold, all before returning home. With wild adventures and vibrant illustrations, this fast-paced story captures the chaotic joy of childhood exploration and independence. Rex's clever use of language and rhyming plot summaries adds to the fun, though some words and even some ideas will certainly need explaining. In the meantime, the illustrations double down on the story's energy. Weber's illustrations are a riot of color, movement, and storytelling that are true to the text and the Tumblebaby ethos. VERDICT A quirky, imaginative tall tale for adventurous young readers unafraid of stretching their vocabularies, this is recommended as an additional purchase for the humor section.-Catherine Callegari

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2024
Preschool-Grade 1 *Starred Review* Even with its leading character sleeping its way through the entire story, this quixotic tall tale from the brilliant, prolific Rex is no drowsy lullaby. With a purple body and an ever-smiling rainbowed face, the somewhat otherworldly Tumblebaby rolls away from its bemused parents toward a series of rollicking adventures. The folktale voice of Rex's text shifts smoothly from bouncy rhythms to preposterous exposition delivered with a wry, dry wit (the coyotes are particularly hilarious). Set in larger type, exuberantly silly rhyming refrains punctuate the action, just begging to be chanted aloud. Bringing a distinctly Chagallesque vibe, Weber's dreamy, naive folk art style uses gouache in blotted textures and streaky strokes; undulating pastel landscapes are populated with characters bobbing up and down among the rolling scenery. At the tale's end, a bespectacled pig appears to narrate the fates of all: the happy return of the much-traveled Tumblebaby and the dubious fortunes of scoundrels and coyotes alike. The narrator's final revelation is that YOU are Tumblebaby, promising to tell you later about your further nighttime escapades. Rex is at his quirky best here, blending inventive charm with his signature playfulness and goofy sophistication for an offbeat fable to be relished over and over.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2024
In Rex's fantastical tale, a baby tumbles out the door and around the world without once waking up. Tumblebaby's rollicking escapade involves besting scoundrels and coyotes (and then leading those coyotes to rescue people from a fire and build a community center), as well as grabbing the gold at the Winter Olympics. Rex's lighthearted, folksy storytelling is full of infectious humor, such as when a small coyote tries to bite the baby and ends up getting "a mouthful of diaper" instead. Bouncy rhymes occasionally break up the narrative, neatly summing up and moving the story forward ("Tumblebaby hi, / Tumblebaby ho, / Tumblebaby fly / down the driveway / and go"). Pithy homespun aphorisms add bigger-picture observations, such as "money comes and money goes." The surreal nonsense is brought to life in Weber's whimsical, color-saturated gouache and acrylic paintings, which feature a purple Tumblebaby with a multicolored face and curved shapes that give a sense of tumbling movement. Ultimately, Tumblebaby returns home to their parents (shown only as pairs of hands, one beige set and one green). "And that baby? That was you...People always forget the things they did when they were babies." This absurd, dreamlike story's intriguing premise may provoke further imagining from young readers and listeners.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)