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Feb 10, 2012

Erin rated it:

Maurice Sendak's new book Bumble-ardy is the story of a pig celebrating his first birthday party, which is his ninth birthday. The backstory, which is told in preface, is that Bumble-ardy's family "frowned on fun", which explains his lack of birthdays hitherto, and his parents were recently killed. Although his parents were butchered, the fact that humans would have been the ones to murder them isn't emphasized. And so, all readers of the book are immediately set up as the antagonists More...

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Dec 16, 2011

Caris rated it:

I wasn’t going to say anything, but School Library Journal has named this one of the best books of 2011, calling it vintage Sendak. This may be vintage Sendak to someone who orgasms at the sound of the man’s name, but for someone with his/her faculties still in place, this is a huge disappointment.

Bumble-Ardy tells the story of a pig who throws a birthday party for himself against his aunt’s wishes. A large group of pigs, in costume, show up to the party and drink brine. Simple enoug More...

9 comments like (9 people liked it)

Nov 23, 2011

Eva rated it:

I'm pleased that some reviewers are calling this what it is - because it's trash. I expected, because of who the author is, that there would be all four and five star ratings but this isn't the case. Perhaps some readers did enjoy this but my guess is that most rated it on the authors name or his past books.
This is a horrible nightmare. I've never been a huge Sendak fan. I read Where the Wild Things Are of course and my daughter owns it now. But it was never *that awesome* to me. In fact, More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Nov 14, 2011

Hayley rated it:

Yay a new Sendak! I went to a bookstore today just so I could read this. I like the pictures much more than the story. It's interesting to compare the style of the art in this book with Sendak's earlier work. Bumble-Ardy is illustrated with a fluidity that contrasts with the precisely drawn leaves and fur in books like Where the Wild Things Are and Little Bear. The chaotic intertwining of subjects in the two-page spreads made me think of Guernica, with the mournfulness replaced by a gaudy ce More...

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Nov 14, 2011

Sam rated it:

Although I have only the highest praise for Higglety Pigglety Pop, and Where the Wild Things Are is a classic in the genre, I'm not the world's biggest Sendak fan, and I've never really understood his high place in the pantheon of American children's author/illustrators. There's been a lot of buzz about both him and this book in the library world of late, however, so when the chance came to read it, I made sure to do so.

Even for Sendak, who's made a career out of creating hallucinato More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 26, 2011

Phloe rated it:

Okay, look. Maurice Sendak is like, a thousand years old. He's gonna get a little loopy. It's what happens with artists - compare early works, their drawings get looser, artists care less about detail than they did when they were younger (ie Where the Wild Things Are vs this book).

I knew there was some hubbub regarding its release, but I purposely didn't read any of the reviews before checking Bumble-Ardy out from my local library. And yeah, it's kinda not for kids.

But neit More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 25, 2011

The Library Lady rated it:

I disliked this from the dark prologue where Sendak kills off the family and didn't like the rest any better. And I disliked it even more when I discovered that it was based on this much sweeter Sesame Street segment made by Sendak and Jim Henson.

As he has aged, Sendak has grown gloomier and gloomier. The man who wrote Where the Wild Things Are,the book my older daughter adored, In the Night Kitchen, which her younger sister loved with equal fervor and The Nutshell Library, stories whi More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 04, 2011

Dolly rated it:

Perhaps I am a heretic, but I just never truly got the charm of Maurice Sendak's books. Sure, I read Where the Wild Things Are as a child and a parent and I definitely had to check out In the Night Kitchen to see what all the fuss was about. But I never really liked his books. When I read that he'd released a new one, I thought I'd give him another chance. No luck again.

The rhyming narrative is entertaining, but I had to go back several times to make sure that I didn't skip a p More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Sep 24, 2011

Sarah-Greenbeanteenqueen rated it:

I had such high hopes for this one and I don't feel as though they were met. I was expecting a wonderful amazing book and the book I got instead was a very odd just OK read. I read the first page, I liked that the pig newspaper said "We Read Banned Books" which made me laugh. But from there, nothing. I do like the rhyming text which has a very nice rhythm to it. The artwork of course is interesting to look at, even if the masquerade costumes are a bit odd and sometimes a bit creepy. I More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 31, 2011

Mark rated it:

If you're already familiar with the dark, deeply imaginative – and to some also disturbing – style of Maurice Sendak, like his classic works Where the Wild Things Are and In The Night Kitchen, chances are reading Bumble-ardy won't be a new experience for you.

Bumble-ardy is an orphaned pig who has reached the age of 9 without ever having a birthday party. He tells his Aunt Adeline that he would like to have a party for his ninth birthday, so Aunt Adeline plans a quiet birthday dinner More...

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Oct 01, 2011

Jessica rated it:

I was so excited when I found out that Maurice Sendak was coming out with a new book. I actually raced with one of my patrons to see who could find it and read it first. I found it and read it and was immediately disappointed. It was not what I expected at all. The illustrations were terrible and the story was entirely too dark for children. (I know Where the Wild Things are is not exactly bright...but it is at least enjoyable.) I handed the book over to the patron and shook my head. " More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 25, 2011

Kathryn rated it:

Personally, this story is a little scary. I also have trouble finding the point this story is trying to make. Bumble-Ardy's lives with his aunt. Bumble-Ardy has missed eight birthdays in a row. Therefore, his aunt has promised to give him a good 9th birthday. His aunt has been setting and preparing for the party all week. however, while she is at work Bumble-Ardy decided to invite all of his friends over for a party. Bumble-Ardy and his friends destroy his aunt's house. When she comes home from More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 10, 2011

Meredith rated it:

As a picture book, Bumble-Ardy is average, but for a work by Maurice Sendak, it lacks the magic that he has at his best. It's the story of a little pig who has never had a birthday party decides to throw himself a costume party for this ninth birthday while his aunt and guardian is at work. He invites a bunch of dirty swine. They, of course, have a wild rumpus, and his aunt becomes irrate when she arrives home to discover the chaos in her house.

There is an undercurrent of sadnes More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 12, 2011

Samantha rated it:

This book is just plain awful. I haven't seen the Sesame Street segment it was based on, so I'm not sure if it is similar, but I just can't imagine SS showing something this awful to kids. The story is supposed to show the unconditional love between a parent and a child, but after the aunt comes at Ardy's friends with a meat cleaver, I wouldn't be so quick to forgive.

The illustrations leave much to be desired. At one point, Sendak tries to show us how angry the aunt is by making her More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jun 30, 2011

David rated it:

Bumble-Ardy by Maurice Sendak evolved from an animated segment for Sesame Street, that aired in the early 1970s, into a picture book about a mischievous pig who has reached the age of nine without ever having had a birthday party. All that changes when Bumble throws a party for himself and invites all his friends, leading to a wild masquerade that quickly gets out of hand.

I never saw the animated segments from which this book sprung. Coming to this without that background (or with i More...

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Oct 16, 2011

Barbara rated it:

For various reasons, Bumble-Ardy never has the chance to celebrate his birthday until he turns nine. His Aunt Adeline gives him gifts, and he throws a party to which all the other pigs are invited. They come dressed in costume to drink the brine that Aunt Adeline doesn't want them to drink for some reason. When she returns unexpectedly early, she finds the party still going on and breaks it up. Bumble-Ardy promises to host no more parties and to never turn ten. There are several pages of illustr More...

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Oct 03, 2011

Kim rated it:

Normally I do not list picture books here because I read quite a lot of them for my job however I felt this one needed attention. I read Bumble-Ardy and was horrified in a way that I haven't been in a very long time. I felt the rhyme was lacking in the story, the illustrations were creepy and the story in general was dark and scary (insert image of Bumble-Ardy's aunt going after the party guests with a meat cleaver). This is not a book for children and to be honest I felt the plot didn't track f More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 14, 2011

trina rated it:

a little creepy, a little sad, a little amazing. people underestimate kids, i think, what they can handle and what they can enjoy, and i think people ultimately underestimate exactly how bloodthirsty and macabre children can be. maurice sendak does not insult children that way. bumble-ardy gets carried away at his first (well, 9th) birthday party and his loving aunty gets mad, threatens to eat his guests, but in the end forgives him and loves him. where's the terrible? i don't see it, but i did More...

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Nov 19, 2011

Janet rated it:

I didn't see the Sesame Street cartoon. I was never an over the top Sendak fan. I am surprised at the ratings this title is receiving.

All that said I liked the book didn't find it that dark and it did remind me of let the wild rumpus start when the piggy swine broke down the door and partied for six illustrated pages. The main character is a hog and there is plenty of hog humor that is spot on here. But, hey, perhaps it is the country girl in me that thought this was funny.

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Jan 05, 2012

Karen rated it:

It's Sendak, so there's an originality to the pictures as a matter of course. The story though seems idiosyncratic and so personal on some level that I'm not sure it'll translate well for child readers. I'll stick with the genius of "Where the Wild Things Are," "In the Night Kitchen" and "Outside, Over There."

PS -- I wise woman I work with said this is really about wild teenagers -- maybe even for teenagers - throwing bashes and destroying the house!

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Jan 18, 2012

Ruby marked it as to-read

I heard the NPR interview with Terri Gross (which wasn't brand new - it was a replay and it was prefaced by their saying that it had generated more replies than anything else ever) and I have to read this now. He is an old man in the interview, and he is all emotion and no barriers, no defenses. He cries. A lot. And he talks about this book and his whole life and his childhood and his death. I recommend looking to see if you can find where to listen to it.

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Dec 15, 2011

Candice rated it:

Some children might be upset by some of the darker aspects of this book; the title character's parents "got ate" and some of the illustrations might be a bit scary. It's the story of a pig who has never had a birthday party, so when Bumble-Ardy turns 9 he throws himself a party at his Aunt Adelaide's house. The story is told in rhyme and the illustrations are typical of Maurice Sendak - a little bit weird but interesting.

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May 30, 2011

Susan rated it:

Just didn't do it for me. Very strange, very dark, and geared more for adults than kids. I expect it will get lots of good reviews and good sales based on the fact that it's a Maurice Sendak book... but if I removed the name on the front cover and looked at it like any other book... I wouldn't buy it. There are some lovely illustrations, but that wasn't enough to carry the book... for me, at least.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 07, 2011

Christopher rated it:

Maurice Sendak's newest picture book in almost 30 years is definitely a strange one. The tale of Bumble-Ardy, who has never had a birthday party, is pretty dark. The illustrations, while great, will freak out and even scare younger children. This book is geared more toward adults with "Maurice Sendak" nostalgia than kids. Interesting but not really my cup of tea in the end.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 13, 2011

Andreaiu rated it:

This book is a little problematic to shelve and rate. The rhyme and rhythm of the words seems to make the book appropriate for preschoolers, but the illustrations and the text are a little dark and disturbing. But at the same time, even through the darkness, there's redemption and love at the end. So, I liked it, but I'm sure it's a book that will split people's opinions.

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Dec 06, 2011

Shannon rated it:

WHAT? I wasn't a big Sendak fan to begin with, but this book absolutely makes no sense. I'm going to read it to my kids today and see what they think. Here's hoping I can keep a poker face so I don't sway their views.

If you want to know what I think about the book, this reviewer has somehow READ MY MIND: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/238...

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Dec 24, 2011

Julie rated it:

I was looking forward to this new book by Sendak and I was greatly disappointed. I thought the story was too confusing for young children (and me too) and I don't even want to explain what swilling swine is to a kindergartner. The illustrations are too scary for young children in my opinion, especially in scenes with the ax. Too bad...

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Sep 30, 2011

Judi rated it:

This one reminds me most of Where the Wild Things Are. I love how the main characters in both are ferocious, naughty and defiant. They get reprimanded for their behavior and in the end they are forgiven.

The illustrations are wondrous and dark.

I am a huge fan of Maurice Sendak and would say this is my 3rd favorite of his books.

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Sep 10, 2011

Amanda rated it:

The pictures in this book are absolutely beautiful! Unfortunately, I read books for the stories and not the pictures, so I only gave it two stars. The rhyming made the book interesting. I found the story to be sad (not the writing, but the story itself.) No more birthdays!?! That is not fun for a kid or a pig!

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Jan 11, 2012

Liz rated it:

Bumble-ardy never celebrated his birthday until he turned 9 and lived with his Aunt Adeline. However, Aunt Adeline did not want swine to drink her brine so Bumble-ardy had to have his party while Aunt Adeline was not home. This book would be great for readers who are just learning about rhyming schemes.

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