Rutabaga Boo!

by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Bonnie Adamson (Illustrator)

Overview

Two simple words—rutabaga and boo—tell a clever, playful, and heartfelt story celebrating the special bond between a mother and her son.

Mom isn’t always nearby…but she’s never too far away.

Through their “Marco Polo”–inspired back-and-forth of “Rutabaga?” and “Boo!,” a mother and son spend a day full of fun. Whether they’re bouncing out of bed, playing in the park, or keeping in touch while Mom is on a trip, one constant is the comforting reassurance that even when they’re physically apart, they’re always connected by the love they share.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481424615
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/14/2017
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen has written many picture books including Chicks Run Wild, illustrated by Ward Jenkins; Tightrope Poppy, The High-Wire Pig, illustrated by Sarah Dillard; Duck, Duck, Moose!, illustrated by Noah Z. Jones; and Rutabaga Boo!, illustrated by Bonnie Adamson. She lives in New Jersey with her three children. Learn more about Sudipta and her books at Sudipta.com.

Bonnie Adamson began creating books at a very early age, out of folded tablet paper stitched along the spine with needle and thread by her grandmother. After a short career as a magazine editor, and a longer career as a graphic designer, Bonnie returned happily to writing and illustrating for children. She and her husband live in South Carolina with two grown daughters and assorted granddogs close by. Visit her at BonnieAdamson.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/09/2017
Whenever Bardhan-Quallen’s young protagonist says “Rutabaga” to his mother, she responds with “Boo!” It’s a multipurpose call-and-response game that can be a wake-up call, greeting, or backdrop to a game of hide-and-seek. But primarily it serves to ameliorate the boy’s separation anxieties: if Mom isn’t within his field of vision, he turns “Rutabaga” into an anxious substitute for “Where are you?” Bardhan-Quallen’s (Tyrannosaurus Wrecks!) two-word text (augmented at the end with the mother promising her sleeping child that “I always love you”) is a lovely tribute to the power of a silly shared catchphrase and the enormous reassurance that routine and ritual offer children. When the boy’s mother has to go away on what’s presumably a business trip, he comforts himself by making a “Rutabaga” sign that she can see when they video-chat. Lined in gracefully sketched pencil, Adamson’s (Bedtime Monster) soft, sunny watercolors have a striking acuity—readers will know exactly how the boy feels when there’s a lag time before he hears “Boo.” Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Rachel Orr, Prospect Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Marietta Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Primarily using a simple two-word exchange throughout, this depicts the special relationship of a little boy and his mother.... Watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, rife with childlike touches, feature settings and activities that will be familiar to many children...the mother and son's mutual affection is evident throughout, and adults and children will appreciate the concept and comforts of sharing a unique language and routine."

February 2017 Booklist

★ 2017-03-20
A mother and son's call-and-response tradition keeps them linked even when they aren't together.It's the illustrations that do the heavy lifting in this tale since the text consists of the two titular words and a final "I always love you" at bedtime, but those pictures speak volumes. An exuberant young boy greets his sleeping mother in the morning: "Rutabaga?" The following spread show her awake and joyously swinging him up in her arms: "Boo!" The two repeat this exchange all day, the boy's sometimes ending with a question mark, as when he can't find her during a game of hide-and-seek, and sometimes with an enthusiastic exclamation point. But the whole day isn't spent together—at one point mom snuggles him in what appears to be grandma's house before leaving briefly, the boy forlorn at the door, though the two do exchange the titular words over a video chat on the computer, and great fun is had with grandma, who ultimately gets him ready for bedtime and the return of mom (caregivers may sigh at the sight of toys in a gift bag, though the boy's ever present stuffed rabbit is never pushed aside). Adamson's watercolor-and-pencil illustrations celebrate the bond between mother and child, and she doesn't dwell on the separation, showing that the boy can still have fun even though the two are apart. This single-parent family is white.A joyous celebration of a wonderful bond. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

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