Bolivar

Starred review from October 9, 2017
Bolivar lives a quiet life in New York City—visiting museums and bookstores, eating corned beef sandwiches, and largely keeping to himself. In such a fast-moving town, no one even notices that Bolivar is a dinosaur: “So long as Bolivar paid his rent (he did) and stayed quiet after 10 o’clock at night (he did that too), no one ever bothered him.” Sybil, a girl next door, is the exception, but her efforts to tell her mother, teachers, and city officials about the dinosaur in their midst go unheard or dismissed, making her all the more determined to prove he exists. Debut author-illustrator Rubin spins a delightful tale that captures the childhood frustration of not being taken seriously by adults, as well as an amusing exploration of curiosity and friendship. The intricate details of the carefully crosshatched artwork and gorgeous panoramic scenes of street life give readers a great many things to discover in each panel. It’s an irreverent but loving tribute to a city whose residents have seen it all but sometimes miss what’s right in front of them, too. Ages 8–up.

Starred review from February 1, 2018

K-Gr 3-Eight-year-old Sybil lives in Manhattan, on West 78th Street, next door to Bolivar, the world's last dinosaur. Bolivar loves corned beef sandwiches, bookstores, museums, and jazz-but he hates attention. That's why he lives in the most frenetic city in the world, where everyone is much too busy to notice him. That is, everyone except Sybil. Despite Sybil's efforts, no one believes in Bolivar's existence. But when the dinosaur must sort out an unjust parking ticket, his privacy slips, and he and Sybil must deal with the consequences. This hybrid picture book/graphic novel relies on a combination of text, speech balloons, comic panels, and panoramic illustrations. The speech balloons are all color-coded, making it easy to tell who is talking, and the narrative is divided into five chapters each about the length of a traditional picture book. Detailed images feature lots of crosshatching and many hidden delights. The characters are appealing and made distinct by wonderful use of color; Sybil stands out with her bright yellow school uniform, and gray-green Bolivar easily blends in with the scenery. VERDICT This brilliantly drawn story will resonate with a wide audience. Read it aloud chapter by chapter with younger kids, who will enjoy pointing out the hidden details, or give it to independent readers. Pair it with Nadja Spiegelman's Lost in NYC and Zack Lieberman and Louis Neubert's Max & Charlie for a trio of titles that burst with lovely artwork and a wealth of affection for New York.-Kelley Gile, Cheshire Public Library, CT

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2018
Grades 2-5 *Starred Review* In many ways, Bolivar is no different than any New Yorker. He thrives on corned-beef sandwiches and tonic water. He spends afternoons traipsing through Central Park. He pays his rent. There's just one thing: he's also a dinosaurthe last left on Earth. While plucky, Polaroid-toting grade-schooler Sybil is well aware of her eight-foot-tall neighbor's existence, the rest of the city is not. That is, until an erroneously issued parking ticket ( Bolivar was not a car, but a dinosaur ) launches the gentle giant from obscurity to frenzied center stage. Part chapter book, part graphic novel, Rubin's authorial debut (following contributions to the Redwall series and Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard, v.1, 2010) is a masterful one. The text, delivered in bite-size speech bubbles and compact sentences, crackles with sly humor. And Rubin's sweeping panoramas (from city blocks to the subway) and idiosyncratic detailsall rendered in rich hues and lively cross-hatchingnever fail to infuse the everyday with a dash of quiet magic. With a whopping dino-sized heart at its core, this is as much an ode to the bustling Big Apple as it is a celebration of curiosity and childlike wonder. Readers all over will soon be joining Sybil's ranks; to see this towering, tiny-armed anomaly is to believe.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)