Harry and Horsie

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 31 AUG. 2009

Pop art la Roy Lichtenstein lends a retro vibe to this debut for both Van Camp and Agnew, about a boy and his sidekick, a toy horse. On a moonlit night, Harry lies awake in his bedroom, where planets, stars and rockets hang from the ceiling, and eyes his soap-bubble ray gun. "Wherever Harry went, Horsie went too, so they crept across the room" to grab the Super Duper Bubble Blooper. The Blooper's enormous bubbles float Harry's toys out the window, lofting the helpless rag doll Horsie into outer space. Harry dons a helmet and rides a streamlined rocket to the rescue, passing by his racecars, seen tearing around the rings of Saturn, and his kitten, lolling about in the Milky Way. Agnew's 1960s-style illustrations, in high-contrast black and white with faded blue, yellow and red accents, resemble screen prints from the Sunday funnies, complete with movement and sound effects ("zooom!!!"). Silhouetted cityscapes and planets serve as backgrounds, and Harry strikes several heroic poses while saving Horsie (who doesn't display much personality). A typical dream sequence, significantly elevated by the art. Ages 3 6.