KIRKUS REVIEW
Pop art and advertising-design nostalgia combine in a picture book that seems to see audience as secondary to presentation. When Silly Sol goes down a hole he finds himself in a madcap land where colorful characters traipse about. “Where Lilly romps, and Dilly stomps, / And Billy Flips and Flops.” If Manic Monkey isn’t crashing his car, then Willy, the oversized peanut, is flying up above. In the last spread the book asks, “Can you be silly too?” and includes a built-in mirror for kids to try out their best faces. The dreamlike nature of the narrative probably veers closer to an episode of H.R. Pufnstuf than an Alice in Wonderland–type story line. Though certainly fun to look at, the book appears to have been written for design majors skimming the shelves of Urban Outfitters rather than your average five-year-old child. Some kids may like the lilting rhymes and bold colors and patterns, but for the most part Taxali’s vintage designs remain better suited for his already appreciative adult market. (Picture book. 3-5)