The object of McCoy's barbed humor is a bit moldy by this date, but his wiry hero and addled heroine make this worth one last go-round. Penny Lee is a TV junkie of the worst sort. Her dog, Mr. Barkley, on the other hand, would like to see the set implode. So when the day comes that the TV stops working, Mr. Barkley suggests that they bring it to the repair shop. Of course, he's got other plans for Penny Lee-like, a visit to the real world and its many pleasures. On the way to the repair shop, they jump rope (using the cord of the TV), play hide-and-seek, fly a kite, and go for a swim in the pond. Penny Lee is conscious of flutters that tell her she is missing some prime TV-any TV, that is-but less so as the day progresses. And by nightfall, when she flops into bed, having missed the repair shop's business hours, she is looking forward to the trip tomorrow. Same as it ever was-any story that will alert kids to the insidious nature of TV is worth a try (though there is a weird little plug at the end in which Mr. Barkley finds he just has to watch a late movie and replaces the batteries for the remote). In this case it is Mr. Barkley that makes it worthy, his eyes asquint and brimming with deception, craftily leading Penny Lee from a life of eyestrain and brain-washing. But it is McCoy's art that really pushes this to the top. Cartoon figures of big noses, big ears, goofy shapes perfectly capture the foolishness. In one particularly funny scene, Mr. Barkley and Penny Lee stare at the cloud shapes and what do they see but bones and TV sets. Put it on your schedule-it could be good for a few minutes of prime-time reading. (Picture book. 4-7)

PreS-Gr 3-Parents are always looking for ways to get their children away from the television set. This book deals with just this situation without the nagging that adults are prone to do. Penny Lee watches TV all day and sleeps on it all night. All her activities take place in front of it. Her dog, Mr. Barkley, tries everything to get her attention but is unable to compete with the tube. One day, Penny Lee wakes to find her set cold and dark, and Mr. Barkley suggests taking it to the repair shop. Once outside, the child discovers the world. She finds that everything is bright and colorful and tries to adjust the light with the TV remote. On the way to the shop, she sees girls jumping rope and, with Mr. Barkley twirling, jumps the television cord. Through the course of the day, the TV plays less of a role in Penny's activities, and when she and her pup return to the shop to pick the set up and find the store closed, Penny Lee isn't even upset. "That night her dreams were commercial free." The cartoon art is lively and engaging. At the beginning of the story, the television takes center stage in every scene. Later, it is smaller and in the background, showing its diminishing role in the girl's life. This is a humorous and entertaining tale that kids and parents alike will enjoy.-Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Clever cartoons with a slapstick edge enliven newcomer McCoy's one-note tale about a child TV addict who's forced to quit her tube habit cold turkey. The TV is Penny Lee's "best friend.... Penny Lee even slept on top of it. And while she snoozed, her dreams would have commercial breaks." Her lonesome pooch, Mr. Barkley, tries to get her attention (parents don't seem to exist); in one cartoon, he rides a motorcycle, Evel Knievel-style, through a flaming hoop atop her TV, to no avail. When the TV abruptly stops working (and Mr. Barkley feigns serious attempts as diagnostician rubber gloves and all), the canine finds ways to entertain Penny Lee as they walk the TV to a repair shop. Among other diversions, they jump rope with the TV cord, draw sidewalk pictures of fire hydrants and superheroes, and swim in a pond, using the lifeless TV as a diving board. McCoy's caricatures amuse with large heads, bulbous noses and ever-expressive furrowed brows and round eyes. However, the premise of a kid tricked out of her taste for TV may resonate more with parents than with children. Ages 4-7. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Penny Lee loves her TV so much, she has no time for her dog, Mr. Barkley. When her beloved television breaks (with some help from lonely Mr. B.), they head for the repair shop but get distracted along the way (swimming, fishing, kite flying, etc.), and Penny Lee discovers there is more to life than TV. McCoyÆs cartoon illustrations are humorous, but the tale is predictable and heavy-handed. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.