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Bubble Trouble

Bubble Trouble
By Margaret Mahy

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Average customer review:
(26 customer reviews)

Product Description

Another hilarious rhyming romp from the team who brought us the popular DOWN THE BACK OF THE CHAIR.

When little Mabel’s bubble gets away from her, it’s her baby brother who gets into trouble. Soon he’s floating out of the house, above the fence, and all over town! And it’s up to Mabel, Mother, and the rest of the townspeople to get him safely back down. Who knew that so much trouble could come from one little bubble?

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #82040 in Books
  • Brand: Clarion Books
  • Published on: 2009-04-06
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: .38" h x 9.58" w x 11.12" l, .93 pounds
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 40 pages

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 2—A truckload of trouble and mountains of mayhem ensue when young Mabel blows a bubble that enfolds her baby brother and carries him aloft. He is pursued by his frantic mother and sister, "crumpled Mr. Copple and his wife," "feeble Mrs. Threeble," "Greville Gribble," the chapel choir, and other townsfolk. The text floats in waves along with the bouncing baby across the energetic watercolor and cut-paper spreads. Dressed in stripes and plaids, nightshirts and jogging suits, the crowd sprints along through backyards and gardens, gesticulating wildly as the smiling infant floats by. Eventually, the rescuers form a human ladder to reach him. But Abel, "a rascal and a rebel," performs a dastardly deed with his slingshot and the people watch in horror as the baby plummets through the air. It takes three page turns for readers to reach the delightful resolution of this perilous predicament. There is no mistaking the baby's happy landing as his smiling face and waving arms and feet fill the spread. This tale, with its over-the-top silliness, is a storyhour gem. And with some practice, the rhyme, alliterative phrases, and names will fall trippingly off the tongue. Fabulous fun!—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The trouble begins when sister Mabel blows a bubble that bobbles over baby and wafts him away. Baby floats over mother, past the neighbors, and through the busy streets as bystanders join the chase. How to bring baby down? A human ladder forms and a slingshot finally solves the problem, but then who’s going to catch the baby? Mahy is clearly in love with language here, as she offers a text that flounces and bounces like the baby in the bubble: “But she bellowed, / ‘Gracious, Greville!’ / and she groveled on the gravel / when the baby in the bubble / bibble-bobbled overhead.” Dunbar uses watercolors accented with cut paper to chronicle the silliness. The story goes on a bit long for the youngest, but children will find their ears perking up at the tongue-twisting text, and they may become word lovers, too, after listening to this. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper

Review

“Mabel blows a bubble that envelops her baby brother, gently wafting him all over the village, causing shock and excitement among the population. Chrysta and Greville Gribble, Tybal and his mother Sybil, the crabby Copples, feeble Mrs. Treeble and Canon Dapple come up with an improbable plan to catch the bubbled baby. Meanwhile, mischievous rebel Abel bursts the bubble with his slingshot and the villagers gallantly come to the rescue by catching him in a quilt. The action moves with breathless frenzy. Mahy is a master at creating verse that is as light and airy as the baby’s bubble. Filled with lovely Briticisms, alliterative nonsense words, double, triple and internal rhymes, it’s meant to be read aloud—‘Again!’—and will lead both breathless readers and listeners to delighted giggles. The text floats across the pages in waves and arcs, and Dunbar’s joyous watercolor-and–cut-paper illustrations are wonderfully expressive, a visual treat moving apace with the text. A frothy, effervescent gift.”—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review

“Bubble, bubble, tongue-twisting trouble! When Mabel blows a bubble, it causes a bit of trouble—in the inimitable Mahy way. The rhythm and rhyme of her newest exuberant offering has echoes of the ‘bibble-bubble-babble’ of her older 17 Kings and 42 Elephants (rev. 9/87) with added tongue-stumbling internal rhymes to keep even the most accomplished storyteller on her toes. Little Mabel’s bubble surrounds Baby and takes him on an adventure of amazing heights. The whole town is alarmed as the bobbling bubble floats farther astray, but happy Baby is comfortably enthralled with his bird’s-eye view of the commotion. Dunbar’s cut-paper and watercolor full-page illustrations are entirely faithful to the lively tale. Every little detail of this raucous story is depicted in the dramatic spreads—a good thing, as the words are a pleasant stretch for lap listeners. Who wouldn’t love the sound of nefarious, cavorting, grapple, and the like tripping off the reader’s tongue? The suspense builds in both words and pictures, and little ones’ eyes will be as round as the bubble. Read this aloud and expect a lot of giggles and calls for a repeat performance. It will take a few readings to get through without stumbling, but that only adds to the fun.”—Horn Book, STARRED review
 
“A truckload of trouble and mountains of mayhem ensue when young Mabel blows a bubble that enfolds her baby brother and carries him aloft. He is pursued by his frantic mother and sister,
‘crumpled Mr. Copple and his wife,’ ‘feeble Mrs. Threeble,’ ‘Greville Gribble,’ the chapel choir, and other townsfolk. The text floats in waves along with the bouncing baby across the energetic watercolor and cut-paper spreads. Dressed in stripes and plaids, nightshirts and jogging suits, the crowd sprints along through backyards and gardens, gesticulating wildly as the smiling infant floats by. Eventually, the rescuers form a human ladder to reach him. But Abel, ‘a rascal and a rebel,’ performs a dastardly deed with his slingshot and the people watch in horror as the baby plummets through the air. It takes three page turns for readers to reach the delightful resolution of this perilous predicament. There is no mistaking the baby’s happy landing as his smiling face and waving arms and feet fill the spread. This tale, with its over-the-top silliness, is a storyhour gem. And with some practice, the rhyme, alliterative phrases, and names will fall trippingly off the tongue. Fabulous fun!”—School Library Journal, STARRED review
 
“Mahy is clearly in love with language here, as she offers a text that flounces and bounces like the baby in the bubble. . . . Children will find their ears perking up at the tongue-twisting text, and they may become word lovers, too, after listening to this.”—Booklist
 
“An ebullient cocktail of sweetness and absurdity. . . . Readers-aloud will have as much fun as listeners with this frothy confection, so get ready to let that baby bounce.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
5This is one of those superb, exuberant books that only comes around once in a great while! Horn Book Award Winner 2009
By D. Fowler
Mabel was sitting at the table blowing bubbles. The kitty was sitting on the table watching the baby and the baby was watching the kitty. All of a sudden one of those bubbles was a lot of "bubble trouble in a bibble-bobble way." It floated across the table and bobbled her baby brother and "wafted him away!" Oh, my . . . Mabel and the kitty were in hot pursuit of the baby in the bubble and when she called to her mother the alarm was on.

"At the sudden call of trouble, Mother took off at the double,
for the squealing left her reeling, made her terrified and tense,
saw the bubble for a minute, with the baby bobbing in it,
as it bibbled by the letterbox and bobbed across the fence."

As the baby bibble-bobbled over the town people began to panic and joined in the chase. Chrysta and Greville, Tybal and Sybil, Mr. Copple and the Mrs. ("a crabby couple") Mrs. Threeble with her needle were on the run lest the "bubble burst and vanish in the sky." It was a real "flum-a-diddle," and no one knew quite what to do, but then there was rascally Abel with his slingshot. Oh, no! What would happen if he burst the bubble?

This is one of those superb, exuberant books that only comes around once in a great while. It is an all-around pleaser that both children and adults will marvel over it. The art work meshes perfectly and captures the excitement of the chase. Much of the text swirls up and down following the bibble-bobble path the baby is taking. If you are an expressive reader, your young audience will be rapt with excitement when you read this story in rhyme! This is the Boston Globe Horn Book Award Winner for 2009.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
4are bubbles really trouble?
By Melissa Sack
Mabel is busy blowing bubbles on day and it turns into a big problem. the bubble that she has blown is HUGE and it surounds her baby brother and carries him away into the air! As the wind blows poor Baby floats throuh the town. The town people have to work together to try and save the baby.

The book is very cute. It is a challenge to read aloud due to all the rhyme words, sort of a tounge twister. The book can be used in story time and in the classroom. After reading the kids can try their hand and making their own bubble solution and seeing who can blow the biggest bubble.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
5wonderful rhythm & rhymes
By SMC
This book is irresistible -- you can't help reading it aloud, over and over. It has a fabulous rhythm to it, especially with rhymes embedded throughout the sentences (not just at the ends). Plus Margaret Mahy's usual sense of mischief. We found it at the library but will be buying a copy.

See all 26 customer reviews...