john stadler

"Stadler's new picture book boasts goofy, full-color illustrations and a meaty story that will give little kids a treat and something to think about."
*Publishers Weekly*

"Droll, vividly colorful line-and-wash paintings set off by plenty of white space enhance this amusingly unpredictable send-up of the shopworn hidden-treasure ploy. Fortunately, witty pictorial and narrative details guarantee that this is good for more than a one-time laugh..."
*ALA Booklist*

"Nicely composed, spacious line and wash drawings with humor and action illustrate a story in which those qualities are used to full advantage in a fresh way. There's nothing predictable about the turns the plot takes as Gorman (a porcine locksmith) goes from fishing to chasing a treasure chest that is also claimed by a bear, a turtle, and a pack of pirate dogs. The read-aloud audience should enjoy the surprise ending."
*Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books*