Bill and Pete to the Rescue (Picture Puffins)
- Book Review,
by Tomie De Paola
From Publishers Weekly
In this third book in the series, the crocodiles find themselves relocated from the banks of the Nile to New Orleans. "Readers will delight in this dynamic duo and will happily accompany them to any continent," said PW. Ages 4-8. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3AWhen readers last saw young crocodile Bill and his best friend/toothbrush Pete the bird in Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile (Putnam, 1987), they had tricked the Bad Guy, who is now in jail. But the Nile isn't safe yet. The Bad Guy's Big Bad Brother, also a crocodile thief, is in town and has captured cousin croc Jane Allison. Bill and Pete go to her rescue, but through a series of misadventures Pete is made a house pet and Bill ends up swimming in a Louisiana bayou with the local 'gators. A reunited Bill and Pete team up with the 'gators to defeat evil, rescuing the captivesAincluding Bill's long lost father. This story line is not as smooth or straightforward as in the earlier title. The many plot twists and turns make it far-fetched, even for a talking-crocodile story. The youngest readers may question the "hows" of Bill's adventure. Still, those who enjoyed the earlier capers will want to read this one. They will certainly recognize the scenes at a glance. The illustrations are the same bordered line-and-wash style found in the previous books, and the characters are typical dePaola.AHeide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WICopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
The adventures of Bill the crocodile and his sidekick Pete the plover (Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile, 1987, etc.) continue with this trans-Atlantic rescue of Bill's little cousin Jane Allison. She's been been kidnapped from her Nile home by the Bad Guy's Big Bad Brother, to be showcased at his Exotic Animal Farm in New Orleans. Bill and Pete get wind of the heist and stow away on the boat transporting Jane Allison. The story gets a little involved: Pete is incarcerated and Bill forms an animal liberation group with some Cajun alligatorsBubba and his cousinswhom he meets in Decatur Bayou. Pete escapes and joins Bill and the new friends in the freeing of Jane Allison and her fellow inmates at the farm. DePaola has laced the story with clever quipsPete, who has been caught and caged on the top floor of a swanky home, says to himself, ``It is lonely up here at the top,'' and Bill's mother says, ``It's times like these that I wish your father was here, and not a suitcase''and his illustrations are highly amusing. It strains the series to work in that New Orleans backdrop, but readers will still be hoping for another glimpseon any continentof Bill and Pete. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Booklist, boxed review
[A] full-blown, dramatic plot...fresh in its palette and in its sense of fun.
Book Description
When Little Jane Allison Crocodile is kidnapped by the Bad Guy's Big Bad Brother from Louisiana, Bill and his bird buddy Pete head to the rescue. But Pete gets caught by the Rich Lady and it's up to Bill to save the day. Kids and parents everywhere will love Tomie dePaola's hilarious new episode featuring the Egyptian pair's first visit to the United States.
Card catalog description
Bill the crocodile and his toothbrush, Pete the plover, set out to save Bill's cousin, who has been captured along with other endangered animals and taken from Egypt to the Bad Guy's Big Bad Brother's Exotic Animal Farm near New Orleans, Louisiana.
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