A very nice new review from Bookist for Zoola Palooza!

In this companion story to Dear Deer (2007), Barretta builds a picture book around homographs, words that look the same but have different meanings and pronunciations. Wild and crazy music fans from the animal kingdom gather for Loola Palooza. With one or two pairs of homographs on each double-page spread, the text introduces the musicians (“Carmen Chameleons ENTRANCE will ENTRANCE you”) as well as the rowdy crowd of music lovers. Although some bits of wordplay may fly over kids’ heads, they’ll enjoy Barretta’s wit and the atmosphere of controlled chaos in the high-energy watercolor illustrations.

- Carolyn Phelan

Barretta (who wrote about homophones in Dear Deer) stages an introduction to homographs at an animals’ outdoor concert. On one spread, a chameleon lounges over a bowl of fruit and veggies to grasp the microphone: “Carmen Chameleon’s entrance will entrance you. She’s the only singer we know who can produce a fresh bowl of produce and blend into it.” Young readers should appreciate Barretta’s ability to construct miniature story lines using the homographs, and while phrases sometimes hit clunky notes (“Fortunately, she wound up landing on the back of a jellyfish, wound-free”), they are well-served by his starry-eyed, crowd-surfing menagerie. Ages 5-8. (June)

Zoola Palooza: A Book of Homographs by Gene Barretta entertains readers while teaching homographs.

This companion book to Gene Barretta’s Dear Deer: A Book of Homophones–named a Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts by the National Council of Teachers of English in 2008–uses the world of singers and musicians, along with a little comedy, to teach homographs.

About Zoola Palooza
“No cages. Just stages,” is boldly printed on the hot pink t-shirt of an ecstatic feline fan who uses homographs to describe a concert filled with animal headliners. Musician after musician take the stage until suddenly the concert becomes filled with mishap (no one hit “record” so there isn’t a record of the show), scandal (Hedda Hip-Hopper might have lip-synced), rowdiness (one performer threatens to separate members in the audience and give them “a separate time-out”), and disaster (workers have to be consoled when the console blows up).

Barretta’s Writing Style and Illustrations
Young readers will giggle at the play on words, particularly at animal names such as Carter Piller and Sally Mander. Homographs are capitalized throughout the text, making them distinct and accessible. The cartoonish, watercolor illustrations are bright and festive. However, Barretta also uses dark images for effect, depicting more dramatic performances under a spotlight. A few of the page layouts are vertical, adding energy to scenes that depict birds flying high and an impromptu light show. Barretta’s clever word use, comical situations (the Seagull Sisters drop more than a beat onto the audience), and whimsical characters make this an engaging read aloud.

Zoola-Palooza: A Book of Homographs
by Gene Barretta

A topic only rarely addressed gets whimsical treatment in this latest from wordplay master Barretta.

Homographs, a frequent source of confusion for readers, are words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently. Barretta helps children sort them out in this trip to an animal rock concert. Billy the striped bass plays the bass fiddle, while Florence Welk plays a polka on a polka-dot accordion. Puns and wordplay abound, and there is something for young and old alike – from the potty humor of the Seagull Sisters’ “present” to the exhausted Catnip Clan drummer: “Usually that cat lives to REBEL. / But today he was just / a REBEL without his claws.” From outstanding performances to lip-sync scandals, stage crew mishaps to faithful groupies, the fun doesn’t stop at the text. Barretta’s watercolors do a stellar job of incorporating all of the homographs presented on each spread (helpfully presented in all uppercase within the text), no matter how far-out and unrelated they may seem.

While teachers are sure to reach for this entertaining resource again and again, the humor, illustrations, wordplay and story are strong enough that casual readers will pick this up, chuckle and even (gasp!) learn. (Picture book. 5-10)