Beep and Bah are the best of friends. When Bah, a blue sheep, finds a mysterious tube sock, he turns to his orange, robotic friend Beep for help. Where is the sock’s match? Who is the sock’s owner? Beep and Bah must go on an epic journey to answer these important questions.
Beep and Bah are a wonderfully mismatched pair. Beep can talk, which puts him in charge, and he forces Bah to go all over the world searching for the sock’s mate. He makes a lot of silly jokes, which can get overly campy at times, but he is a fun translator for all the animals encountered in the book. Bah is the straight man for Beep’s jokes, getting nervous at his zany antics and, presumably, bah-ing his concerns to Beep. We meet a lot of interesting creatures through Beep and Bah’s search and encounter a little bit of danger. This pair is certainly a fun team to follow in their adventures.
The illustrations in this book are striking. James Burks creates vibrant characters with the use of unexpected shapes and patterns. Bah’s square shape and curling goatee make him look just the right amount of silly. His wide eyes and thick eyebrows make him look constantly confused and nervous, while Beep’s stable metal body and excited eyes show that he is the brains of the operation. Or at least he thinks he is. Burks does an impressive job of making his characters’ faces expressive and plays perfectly with shapes and colors. It adds the perfect touch of frivolity to the characters.
With a funny twist ending, this picture book is a fun read for parents and kids, too. The bright colors and patterns will appeal to smaller children, as will the jokes and zany antics of Beep. The style of the book is somewhat comic-like, with the use of panels and onomatopoeia, so it may be a bit of a change for really young readers. In the end, though, who wouldn’t have fun making all those beeps and bahs along with the characters?
Beep and Bah
by James Burks
ISBN: 9780761365679
Carolrhoda Books, 2012
Publisher Age Rating: 5-9
