Milton the Early Riser

Rating:
Summary: Wake up, little Milton. Wake up!
Review: Having taken the world by storm with their mightily successful "Leo the Late Bloomer" author Robert Kraus and that dynamic illustrating duo of Jose and Ariane Aruego decided to give the world of picture books another go. As with "Leo", the title character in "Milton the Early Riser" has a problem. It's not a huge problem, nor a particularly tragic one, but it bugs him just the same. Milton (an adorable panda cub) has woken up early and there is no one else up and nothing at all to do. To amuse himself Milton attempts to watch television (only the color bars are on), to jump up and down, to dance and do tricks, and finally to sing. It's the singing that wrecks the most damage to the other drowsy animals in Milton's neighborhood. An unexpected repercussion of Milton's little song is that the very mountains and trees themselves shake and tremble and a huge whirlwind blows the other sleeping animals hither and yon. Patiently, Milton puts everyone back in their proper place, tiring himself in the process. When his parents wake up Milton is fast asleep, a small smile on his face.

The Aruegos are especially talented at making you feel sorry for their picture book creations. Though Milton is never put through any particularly dire straights, you feel really sorry for him when he plods about, alone and lonely. Fortunately, he's a bit of a card. By amusing himself with funny body positions and clever balancing tricks he also amuses the child reader. The book is infused with the regular fabulous colors and creations one has come to expect from this artistic duo. Not only beautiful, but also funny. Milton is particularly amusing when he thinks up original ways of schlepping animals from place to place to place.

The story's good too. I should probably mention that. But I love the Aruegos and for me they're the whole reason to pick up this book. It's a sweet story, sure. But it's also a fabulous book to flip through. Lovely looking. Lovely reading.


Rating:
Summary: Great bedtime story with great illustrations!
Review: I have had my own copy of 'Milton the Early Riser' since I can remember. It is one of my favorite childhood books. Milton the panda bear can't sleep. There is a big wind storm which rearranges all of the animals in the land, so to keep himself occupied, Milton puts them all back where they belong. By the time all of the animals wake up, Milton is so tired, he finally falls asleep.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Book Ever!
Review: It's the best book I ever saw. The colors are very bright. I especially liked when the animals were camoflauged. Porcupines ended up stuck up in the tree. I love the book very much. It shows all kinds of animals and they all were led by the panda named Milton.