February 14, 2022
Odd couple robot pals Blippo and Beep explore humor in this easy-to-read graphic novel by Weeks (Soof) and Ellis (Wolfie Monster and the Big Bad Pizza Battle). When Beep, who’s short, round, and magenta, asks tall, bespectacled, blue Blippo, “Hey, Blippo, do you want to hear a joke?” it soon becomes clear that literal-minded Blippo doesn’t know the time-honored knock-knock joke formula. Exasperated, Beep directs responses, while earnest Blippo replies organically (“But I know who’s there. It’s you, Beep!”). In the second section, Blippo reciprocates, enthusiastically trying out a self-made joke, but Beep again takes on the role of world-weary instructor (“That joke is NOT funny... Funny jokes make me laugh!”), leading Blippo to take another tack. And in the third section, the friends finally appreciate camaraderie when Blippo stumbles upon a winning joke formula. Set against a plain white backdrop, uncluttered, flatly colored line art focuses attention on the bots’ antics and expressions (a belly screen that displays faces, punctuation, and more emphasizes Blippo’s feelings), while simple plotting emphasizes joke-paced rapport. Readers might not appreciate Beep’s curmudgeonly insistence on a prescribed road to jokes, but Blippo’s gently humorous, improvisational approach may win over budding young comics. Publishing simultaneously: I Feel Funny. Ages 5–7. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties.
May 13, 2022
PreS-Gr 1-This first book in a new series introduces Blippo and Beep, a dynamic duo of friendly robots. Beep tries to tell knock-knock jokes to Blippo, who is unfamiliar with the format. Blippo answers, "Come in!" to Beep's first attempt at a joke. When Beep is finally successful in delivering the joke, Blippo doesn't fully understand the humor. But he goes on to learn how to tell his own kind of joke to make his friend laugh. The story is told using short speech bubbles for the dialogue between Blippo and Beep. Ellis adds clever details in the bright illustrations, such as a question mark on Blippo's stomach when he is confused, a smiley face when he is happy, and an exclamation point when he is excited. The entire book is illustrated using only five colors: white, black, blue, purple, and yellow. Weeks has created two likable robots, one more serious than the other, but both eager to make the other happy. VERDICT Fans of Mo Willems's "Elephant & Piggie" series will enjoy this book that follows a similar pattern with different characters.-Heidi Dechief
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