Reviews and Quotes
Reviews and Quotes about FUDDLES:
Reading Fuddles was easy and a pleasure. From the first page it's apparent we're in very competent, confidant hands with the story and the art.
Your fat cat character is a great clown. I would have known --even without the flap photo--that this book was drawn by a cat-lover. In particular I love the way he is totally curled-up in that self-comforting cat-nap way in the garden, and how he loves having his hind-end scratched in just that place, in the final illustration. (A clever way of saying "The End".)
I like the way you bend your spaces --very cinematic-- but of course!-- and your sense of timing. When things finally explode (with Fuddles leaping out of the garden,) it’s great the way even the flowers are shooting skyward, like little rockets.
My favorite part of the book –and what I would look forward to every night, if I were reading this to a kid—is that aerial panorama of the neighborhood, with darkness washing over the land ( from east to west, even! Bravo!) and, of course, those little paw prints, which I assume one can follow, tracking our hero’s progress on his adventure. This is the kind of thing that can work only in a book, and so I commend you on what you’ve done to preserve the tradition.
- David Small
This story about a coddled cat contains few surprises, although Vischer's illustrations are both lively and skillful. When Fuddles suddenly decides his life needs adventure, he's shocked when, for the first time, he's told no. "You're not allowed to go outside," says his owner. Undeterred, the befuddled Fuddles dreams of "scaling mountains and fighting ferocious foes," and when his chance for escape arrives, he takes it. But what awaits is a series of slapstick misadventures as Fuddles ends up plopped into a disgusting birdbath, laughed at by squirrels, chased by a dog, and hopelessly lost. Vischer (Jimmy Dabble) shows all sides of Fuddles's personality: his daring, thought-bubble fantasies (snagging a fish from a raging river or going head-to-head with a bear) contrast with the royal treatment he receives at home as well as the reality of life on the street (er, cul-du-sac). The book's message, though, runs counter to the popular wisdom of encouraging children to follow their dreams: Fuddles begins and ends the book as a pampered cat, one who has learned that staying among "friendly, familiar faces" is much better than seeking adventure.
- Publishers Weekly, www.publishersweekly.com
Reviewed on: 04/04/2011
Blog: Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile - Post: Review: Fuddles
Reviews and Quotes about JIMMY DABBLE:
"... In a lighthearted style, Vischer constructs a believable fantasy in which the squabbling hens, wise cow, friendly sheep, and a pig named Al become Jimmy's companions on many adventures. It turns out that these animals are talented and save the day in a melodramatic twist, at the end of the story, that children will enjoy. Add to the mix a zany grandmother, a not-so-scary creature named Beebo who lives in the dark woods, and a disaster or two, and you have the ingredients for a story that children will appreciate. Vischer's abundant, large-sized cartoons and spot-art creations are as lively and exuberant as the text. The diversity of characters and ample dialogue make the book a good choice as either a group read-aloud or an independent read. Not quite so complex as E. B. White's Charlotte's Web (Harper Collins, 1952) or a Roald Dahl creation, Jimmy Dabble will expose children to a well-written fantasy and leave many of them searching for similar titles."
- Lee Bock,
Glenbrook Elementary School
as published in School Library Journal
August, 2001
"I like Frans Vischer's animation of Darla Dimple in "Cats Don't Dance." ... In Jimmy Dabble he once again surprises his audience, avoiding cliches to present unexpected plot twists that are ultimately more satisfying and entertaining."
- Charles Solomon,
Animation historian and critic
August, 2001
…your book fuddles... he's really cute and funny;
…he is adorable-really. and I love your colors and design through out.
"spoiled, spoiled..." hilarious.
The book is fantastic; the images literally jump out at you. wonderful, wonderful.
- David Catrow
