Horn Book Review
A bandit boy describes his and his siblings' visits to see their bandit dad (he has remarried a princess), as well as their failed attempt to scare away their stepfamily. Set in fairy-tale times, the book, featuring wonderfully incongruous motifs (Christmas trees, a pacifier) and hilarious hats and hairdos, is as funny and heartening as divorce-themed picture books come. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In this "coping with divorce" tale, a split family becomes an extended one--of robbers, royals and dragons. "I have a really big family," announces the matter-of-fact young narrator. "There are about 9 to 22 of usdepending on the day." At first, seven robber sibs don't mind shuttling back and forth between their robber parents, who split up because "they just weren't getting along," until a princess and her six "prim and prissy little princes and princesses" move in with Dad. So sad is he when his children drive the interlopers away, though, that the younger robbers track them down, rescue them and troop back. In consequence, it's then not so much of a shock when the robbers' mom announces that she's taken up with a dragon father and his six offspring. For easy visual ID, Krause dresses all the robbers in black trench coats with very tall, skinny hats and the princesses in pink gowns and crowns teetering atop equally tall hairdos (the princelings get crowns and sailor suits). Her small figures march about or play in groups in the sketchily detailed cartoon illustrations--gathering in the final scene for general cavorting around a picnic blanket on which the four adults sit and chat amicably. Very slightly disguised bibliotherapy, applied with a light touch and capped with a tidy but not unbelievable resolution. (Picture book. 6-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
For starters, the impossibly tall and thin top hats this family wears already challenge the term ordinary. Bank robbers Dad and Mom have had a little disagreement, so their offspring shuttle back and forth between two homes, carrying little red suitcases. One day a princess and her six children come to stay with Dad, and the bandit siblings decide to drive them off, releasing live field mice in their beds. Egads! Now Dad is sad, his mustache droops, and he refuses to leave his bed. The concerned (and now bored) little bandits set off jubilantly to bring the runaways back, saving them from a mucky swamp. Meanwhile, Mom has met someone special: a really cool dragon with 5 dragon children of his own. In the end, a hilarious picnic finds all interacting in splendid camaraderie. Each of Krause's 22 family members is unique and memorable, while her colorful scenes lend atmosphere and a quirky spin to each humorous page. The comfortable acceptance of the new order shows parents who have enough love in their hearts for all of us. --Gepson, Lolly Copyright 2010 Booklist
