Over, Bear! Under, Where?

August 9, 2021
Composed of puns and wordplay employing “under” and “over,” Hedlund delivers a whimsical “Who’s on First”–like picture book, following characters Under, a mole; Over, a green-blue bird; and Dog, “a hot-dog dog.” The characters are enjoying themselves in and around a playground—until Bear emerges from the woods and chaos ensues. Hedlund’s spare text is conveyed in lines and through speech bubbles: “Push, Over!” one bubble reads, as Under sits in a swing seat. “Under is over Over,” the page across the gutter reads, as the mole soars high on the swing. Dynamic, gradient-washed digital illustrations by Slack amplify humor through goggle-eyed animals and an uncluttered palette. A slim tome that earns its giggles. Back matter includes an author’s note and a glossary. Ages 4–8.

August 15, 2021
Be on the lookout! Wordplay is underway. A mole named Under and a bird named Over play on a seesaw and swings. Simple declarative sentences explain where the pals are spatially as they use the equipment; their relative locations are depicted. From here, the pair begin to converse, so the prepositions over and under repeatedly appear in speech bubbles, paired with other words and set in boldface type throughout. Thus, dialogue emerges as commands, interjections, or occasional idiomatic expressions and puns--but it's actually forming compound words. A story (ending with a sweet idiomatic phrase) develops and is expressed textually and visually: "Push, Over!" the mole yells from the swing, and "Under, Stand!" the bird demands when it wants a turn. Punctuation marks are used grammatically correctly, turning common (and not-so-common) compound words into phrases. Other examples of compound-word formation herein: "Over, eat?" "Under, cook," "Over, done." Unfortunately, the exercise does not amount to a satisfying story in itself. Adults will get the point; many children won't, though some will recognize familiar compounds: overeat, understand, under/overcook, and underwear. (Here it's punned "Under, Where?") Occasionally, confusion reigns: Some word pairs that are boldfaced and set in speech balloons make no sense for the book's apparent purposes because they aren't compounds: "Over, There!"; "Dig, Dog!"; and "Down, Dog!" Colorful illustrations are energetic. An author's note explains compound words and invites readers to locate those in the book, which are defined in a separate list. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Tries for clever but doesn't make it. (Picture book. 5-8)

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