Dodsworth the mouse is a stodgy couch potato whose motto is Try to do as little as possible. The owner of a resale shop, he follows the same daily routine: a trip to the junkyard in search of treasures, naps and cheese, lots of television. At the junkyard, he finds a pink refrigerator filled with paints and a note on the door that reads, Make Pictures. Dodsworth brings the art supplies home, turns off the TV, and paints a beautiful picture. On return trips, notes on the refrigerator's door offer new commands: Read More, Play Music, and Learn to Cook. Dodsworth is so inspired by his new activities that he follows the refrigerator's final message (Keep Exploring ) and sets off on his bike to see the world. The messages about ditching routine and embracing creative endeavors are heavy and perhaps adult oriented. Still, Egan's smooth storytelling and uncluttered pictures of endearing Dodsworth will easily engage kids, and children who are anxious about change may take encouragement from Dodsworth's delight as he tackles new experiences. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2007 Booklist

Egan's (Roasted Peanuts) contemplative picture books, including this story of inspiration, suit jaded adults as well as children. Thrift shop owner Dodsworth, whose tidy gray pelt and skinny tail make him resemble a heavy-set rat, likes relaxing. His motto was basically `Try to do as little as possible,' although his house and store are well-kept and painted in a comfy, mellow Arts and Crafts palette. He supports himself with leisurely trips to the junkyard, where he picks up things to clean and resell. One day, he notices a rusty pink refrigerator among the discards, and admires the globe-shaped bronze magnet on its door. Underneath the magnet, which sticks despite his efforts to pry it loose, hangs a scrap of paper reading, Make pictures. Dodsworth opens the fridge to find a beautiful assortment of paints and brushes and a little red sketchbook. He plans to hawk the items, but on a whim he decides to paint. The next day, the magnet's note says, Read more, and the fridge is packed with books. Subsequent visits yield fresh advice and necessary supplies. Egan's fastidious, round-edged tracings and soothing, even watercolor hues serve well his unhurried tales, which unfold in a calm, homespun fashion. This volume, like Oh, the Places You'll Go!, urges a young crowd to seek experience, while counseling sedentary adults to create meaningful lives. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

PreS-Gr 2-Bowler-hatted and be-scarfed, Dodsworth leads a rather dull and lazy life of naps, TV, and daily junkyard trips to replenish his thrift-shop stock. The mouse's routines are abruptly altered when he is attracted to a magnet on the front of a rusty pink refrigerator. The mysterious appliance becomes his cornucopia for adventures as it is filled with different supplies each day to help him follow the gentle suggestions written on notes held under the magnet: "Make pictures"; "Read more"; "Play music." His days become so filled with purpose and life that when a last note on the now-empty refrigerator exhorts him to "Keep exploring," Dodsworth finds he has the inner resources to do just that. Egan's masterful handling of the character's growth from lazy lump to a delighted self-starter will engage readers. The ink-and-watercolor art mirrors the laid-back tone of the narrative. In a style slightly reminiscent of James Marshall's work, Egan places his blocky rodent amid an ordered world of muted colors and white-framed spreads. This off-beat tale is perfect for reading aloud, but will also be appreciated as a read-alone and lap-sit. It's never dull.-Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Primary) After visiting the junkyard each morning to look for things to sell, thrift store proprietor Dodsworth prefers to spend his days watching TV and napping (""Dodsworth loved to do nothing""). On one of his junkyard runs, however, Dodsworth discovers an abandoned pink refrigerator. ""Make pictures,"" a note on the outside says; inside are a sketchbook, paint, and brushes. Dodsworth plans to sell the art supplies but finds-strangely-that he doesn't want to part with them; instead, he uses them to paint a picture of the ocean, though he's ""never actually seen"" it. New notes mysteriously appear every morning, as do different items inside the refrigerator. ""Read more,"" ""Play music,"" ""Learn to cook""; each day Dodsworth does-with more and more enthusiasm. The book's worthy message, not at all subtle, is refreshingly delivered without pretense. The similarly unfussy, muted illustrations are rendered with Egan's characteristic restraint, which emphasizes Dodsworth's low-key approach to life-even after creativity breathes inspiration into his mindless routine. What final directive sends Dodsworth riding off into the night, refrigerator treasures in tow, in search of an ocean? It's one that readers can ride off with as well: ""Keep exploring."" (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Dodsworth isn't exactly a slacker; he just hews closely to the Thoreauvian notion that superfluous wealth can only purchase superfluities. He makes his rounds at the junkyard and brings back the best of the lot to his thrift shop. "He never sold much, but a little more than enough to get by," wirtes Egan. Dodsworth has his easy chair, his television and his motto: "Try to do as little as possible." He also has a date with his destiny: a rusty, pink refrigerator, a new citizen of the junkyard. Working its mysteries, notes held by magnets on the refrigerator get Dodsworth involved in living: "Paint pictures." "Read more." "Play music." Magically, the refrigerator holds the items required to follow the instructions, so paint, read, cook, he does. Ultimately, Dodsworth gets a shove from the nest--"keep exploring," the fridge says; no more handholding--and Dodsworth, after a minor relapse, does just so. Patent that refrigerator! Better yet, patent the spirit and inspiration that flow through Egan's story and give everyone a share. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.