Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Dexter Bexley has ridden his scooter right into a big blue Beastie, who wants to eat him right up! Luckily, Dexter has lots of much better ideas. Together they go into business delivering flowers, set up a Private Detectives agency and make the biggest, stickiest, tastiest yoghurt, fudge, banana and ice-cream Beastie feast ever! ut what's going to happen when Dexter runs out of ideas?

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

The aptly named Big Blue Beastie, a bored monster, believes eating young Dexter Bexley will relieve his ennui. But the resourceful, diminutive Dexter heads off Beastie's appetite by always coming up with another fun thing that the two of them can do together. In the funniest series of vignettes, they open a detective agency, solving cases with comically evocative names such as The Rubber Glove Affair and even fending off a Moriarty-like nemesis named Professor Hortern Zoar. By the time Dexter's stock of ideas is exhausted, the Big Blue Beastie decides it's much more fun to have the boy as a friend than a snack. Mock-Victorian drawings bring to mind the sly delicacy of Edward Gorey; every image conveys Stewart's (Jabberwocky) wit. The urbane, economical narrative, written in clipped British cadences, follows suit with its comic pith and dialogue conveyed in speech bubbles. Stewart always trusts that readers will get the jokes and be able to fill in the embellishments for themselves. A treat. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-This British import is original, funny, and endearing. Dexter Bexley rides his scooter into a hungry Big Blue Beastie who thinks about eating him up. The boy appeases the monster numerous times with engrossing activities such as delivering flowers, solving crimes, and eating a Beastie-size sundae. When Dexter runs out of distractions and expects to be devoured, Beastie introduces his own surprises. Besides being a delightful read-aloud with abundant alliteration and repetition, the story celebrates the beauty of friendship. The boldly colored, humorous, sometimes spare illustrations are perfect for the straightforward text. The book design adds to the appeal with backgrounds of assorted colors. Pair this with Mo Willems's Leonardo, the Terrible Monster (Hyperion, 2005) for a lively storytime about monsters and friendship.-Barbara Katz, Parish Episcopal School, Dallas, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Boy bumps into Big Blue Beastie. Big Blue Beastie threatens to eat boy. Boy has a better idea: riding scooters. Big Blue Beastie becomes bored; threatens to eat boy. Boy has a better idea: starting a flower delivery business. And so it goes, through many adventures, including the resolution of several unusual mysteries, until the Big Blue Beastie's appetite and boredom are finally and creatively abated. How does that happen? Because the Big Blue Beastie now has a friend. The gently hued illustrations perfectly match the text, starting simply, with only Dexter and the beastie (who looks anything but threatening) on the double-page spreads, and evolving into more complex scenes as the plot thickens. The pictures are unusual but pleasing, and they give the story a bit of an Edward Gorey feeling. Children will enjoy this delightful romp from beginning to end and appreciate Dexter's clever alternatives to being eaten up. --Randall Enos Copyright 2007 Booklist

Horn Book Review

When a Big Blue Beastie threatens to eat Dexter Bexley, Dexter comes up with all sorts of ways to distract him. They ride scooters, deliver flowers, and become detectives. Dexter eventually runs out of activities, but by then their friendship prevails. Stewart's illustrations add a lot of charm to the somewhat odd scenarios. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

When a little boy encounters a fantastical creature, he uses his imagination to keep his new friend entertained. Dexter Bexley accidentally rides his scooter into a Big Blue Beastie who threatens to eat the "small and tasty" Dexter. But Dexter has a "much better idea," and invites the Beastie to go scooting with him. Soon the Beastie is bored and hungry again, so Dexter proposes a "much better idea," and the enterprising duo start a successful flower-delivery business until the Beastie becomes bored and hungry. Dexter swiftly suggests another "much better idea" and the playful pair become "Bexley and Beast: Private Detectives," solving imaginative mysteries like the Missing Marmoset and The Great Sausage Heist. But how long can Dexter come up with better ideas to assuage Beastie's seemingly insatiable appetite? Beastie himself eventually offers a solution. Very whimsical line-and-color illustrations focus on the not-too-scary, but quite rotund Beastie in his striped T-shirt and bowler hat cavorting and capering with his new playmate. Fanciful fun. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.