Go and Get with Rex

February 5, 2024
In this peppy read, creative partners LaRochelle and Wohnoutka (See the Cat: Stories About a Dog) introduce “Go and Get”—an “eye spy”–like alphabet game that keeps three players on their toes. When the unseen narrator calls out a
letter of the alphabet, pale-skinned Jack; Jill, portrayed with brown skin; and anthropomorphized dog Rex are tasked with retrieving something that begins with that letter. The narrator kicks off the game with F, which results in Jack bringing a frog, Jill presenting a fish, and Rex showing up with a... duck? When Rex explains (“Woof! Woof! Woof!”) that the duck is a “friend,” the moment establishes both a running joke around Rex’s fondness for ducks, and a key semantic point: context is everything. Meanwhile, Jack and Jill’s responses become more expansive, as D inspires Jack to produce
a dress-clad, drum-playing dinosaur, while Jill offers a daisy-drawing dragon sitting at a desk. The unflagging energy and creative play on offer should soon prompt readers to transfer the game from picture book to real life. Ages 3–7.

Starred review from February 15, 2024
Preschool-Grade 2 *Starred Review* A parent or teacher (not pictured) challenges Jack and Jill, two children, as well as Rex, a dog, to "go and get" something that begins with a certain letter of the alphabet. Responding to F, Jack brings a frog and Jill, a fish. Rex brings a duck. When reminded that duck doesn't begin with F, he responds, "Woof, woof, woof," explaining that this duck is his friend. The next challenge brings slightly less conventional finds from Jack and Jill and more creative thinking from Rex. In each challenge, he initially confounds his teacher's expectations but triumphs once his reasoning is understood. The "go and get" challenges are met with increasingly absurd and wacky finds until Rex surprises everyone with his unexpectedly predictable treasures. From the creators of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winning See the Cat (2020), here's another genuinely funny book. LaRochelle is very effective at creating comical situations, and his text reads aloud beautifully. In Wohnoutka's expressive gouache illustrations, which include speech balloons, Rex's puppy-dog eyes and body language make the story's outcome seem inevitable, but surely kids wouldn't have it end any other way. Well attuned to its audience of prereaders and beginning readers, this book is zany, fun, and downright irresistible.

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June 1, 2024
From the Geisel Award-winning team behind See the Cat (2020) comes another surprising, amusing, and educational treat for beginning readers. With a "One...two...three," an unseen narrator tells light-skinned Jack, brown-skinned Jill, and Rex the smiling pooch to "Go and Get" objects beginning with a given letter. Rex (less excitable than Max, the previous series' star) wordlessly woofs but is revealed to be cleverer than readers might initially assume. For the letter F, the kids bring a "FROG" and a "FISH," but Rex brings a duck...who is quickly revealed to be a "FRIEND." For the letters S and M, Jill returns with a "SKUNK" and a "MOOSE," while Rex persists with ducks--who slyly turn out to fulfill the requirements (a pair of "SISTERS" and a group of "MUSICIANS"). Finally, it's time for the letter D! While Jack rides in on a "DINOSAUR in a DRESS with a DRUM," and Jill produces a "DRAGON at a DESK drawing a DAISY," Rex is empty-handed. The narrator is "disappointed," until a few woofs convey that Rex is, of course, a "DOG." Expert pacing enhances the humor. Expressive cartoons highlight the deadpan moment before the narrator (and readers) catch on to Rex's unexpected wins, and a final spread features many D-related words. Quirky, unexpected fun. (Early reader. 4-7)

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Starred review from August 23, 2024

PreS-Gr 2-Rex wants to play with Jack and Jill and the narrator suggests a game of "Go and Get." The narrator gives the players a letter and they have to find something that starts with that letter. The first letter is F and Jack brings back a frog, Jill brings back a fish, and Rex brings back a duck. When the narrator tries to correct Rex, Rex explains, in woofs, that the duck is a friend and that does start with F. The story continues with more letters, and each time, the characters and the narrator add alliterative elements; a snake becomes a slithering snake, and the skunk is a smelly skunk. Charming artwork shows the details of these alliterative gems, but Rex steals every scene. Readers will be cheering Rex to victory. This book will no doubt launch thousands of games of "Go and Get." LaRochelle and Wohnoutka are masters at what they do, and this title is one no picture book collection should be without. VERDICT A rollicking book for story hours or independent reading, this title is fun to share and a must for collections aimed at emerging readers.-Debbie Tanner

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