Bamboozled

by David Legge

A fun-filled subtext is delivered in the illustrations of this warm, witty picture book about a young girl's visit to her eccentric grandfather--where "tea as usual" is poured into flower pots, and helping with housework means mowing the rug. Full-color illustrations.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Classics, School, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It runs through a text of a standard day visiting grandpa - but something is a little odd.

The text never describes any aspect of the house, but oh boy, the illustrations sure do. Is it the tiger being fed in a highchair? The dog playing a card game with them (all the cards are the 8 of hearts, and grandpa cheats, which is probably how he always wins)? The cowboys in the living room?

Every page is full, simply full of tiny details and big details that are strange, unusual, or just a little weird. Every time I open this book, the nieces (5 and 2.5) fall all over themselves to find something new to point out as silly. We haven't found everything yet, and we've had this book a few weeks now!

Naturally, of course, the thing that's "wrong" to our protagonist is something mindnumbingly banal - her grandfather put on the wrong socks this morning! Silly grandpa!

[Sim ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a throwback! the 30th anniversary edition is not on GR but it features sketches and plans from the author/artist!

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderfully illustrated book. I read it to my 2 year old granddaughter but I think I got more out of it than she did. Each reading there is more to see in the fantastical drawings. This house that Grandpa lives in is like a modern day enchanted castle. Nothing is as it seems. a watch has hour glass and egg timer on it, a table is on a skateboard, all the cards in a card game are 8s of hearts, wooden spoons and rolling pins are in the fire. Every inch has some amazing quirky addition. Grandad looks like an ordinary old bloke but he lives in a world of magic.

[Tym · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is incredibly imaginative though the story simple. Definitely one to share with a young reader

[Cheryl]

Just not feeling it right now. Well, Trump is currently doing his darndest to infect his entire staff with covid so 'silly' is just off the table for me. I do believe, however, that it may be the perfect antidote for what ails ya, if you like this sort of thing. Reminds me just a bit of the classics Tuesday and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, at least in so far as you like any of them you'll probably like all.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun!!

[Maija Koehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favourite children's book. The illustrations alone keep me entertained with puns and oddities!

[Marissa Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book, "Bamboozled", a little girl visits her grandfathers house for tea as usual. Only it is not the usual day in this topsy turvy house her crazy grandfather lives in. The little girl cannot find out what is different in the house. The grandfathers house is no ordinary house, the house is filled with different things, such as painting's coming to life, zoo animals all around the house, and interesting things decorating the walls.

The illustrations in this book are outstanding and very detailed. No matter how many times you read this book you will always find something new that catches your eye. The colors are so vibrant and they really help the pages come to life. This book is a perfect book to read aloud as it will entertain every reader. This book is full of wild imagination and children will find this book so much fun!

[Freddie D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like this is the gold standard for how picture books should be: engrossing, entertaining literacy experiences. This book could be read in five minutes or five hours, depending on how much time you spend poring over the incredibly detailed and hilarious illustrations. It's tremendous fun to point out all of the wacky things on each page, right down to the cover (the blurb on the back is printed upside down!). This edition also features a behind-the-scenes style look at the creation of the book: a perfect addition to the discussion.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book that doesn’t need words and will take you an hour to complete due to entertaining conversations. We spoke for hours about the ‘craziness’ that is happening at Grandpa’s house.
I have read it to 6 year olds to 12 year olds and was equally enjoyed.

[Annelies itsallgood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh woaw, finally—a house that doesn’t look like it’s been curated for Instagram likes. No 50 shades of beige or staged plants. Just carpet chaos with a side curious light bulbs.

Honestly, these ducks have more personality than half the interior designers on Pinterest. I’m here for it.

[Germán Gallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las ilustraciones son fantásticas. Se puede leer el libro entero en 5 minutos. Pero también se lo puede leer durante un día entero (la cantidad de detalles es genial). Muy divertido, para verlo y conversarlo y encontrar siempre algo nuevo. Y para aprender, desde cualquier edad, lo gracioso que es llevar las cosas al absurdo y más allá.

Luna -mi nena de 3 años- dijo: "Me hizo reír marca cañón. Mi favoritos son los animales".

[Sarah Gunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the detailed (and hilarious!) illustrations in this book. Every time I open it, the children and I find new things that we missed the last time.

I tend to read this with a small group so every child has the chance to examine the picture in detail and share what they've spotted. It would also be a great story for a parent to explore one-on-one with their child.

[Aimée · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bei "Bamboozled" müsst ihr ganz genau hinschauen: Der Text ist unauffällig - ein Mädchen besucht ihren Opa, aber irgendwas ist heute komisch. Die Bilder hingegen sind WIRKLCH komisch - der Tisch steht auf einem Skateboard, beim Kartenspielen hat Opa 5 Herz-Achten, der Tee kommt aus einer Gießkanne und so weiter. Ein tolles Suchspiel für alle.

[Shawn Marie Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the best children’s books I’ve ever read and remains a favorite of ours, even though my daughter is in her 20s now. The illustrations are beautiful, clever, and fun to search through; and the story depicts a loving relationship between a young girl and her eccentric grandpa. What’s not to love?

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book and wish it were still in print. - In ways it reminded me a tad like Pippi Longstocking's books but the little girl gets so bamboozled as to how her grandfather lives that you can't help but chuckle. I even laughed out loud and the pictures are just perfect!

[Carmen Tudor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was read to my class as a new book (special!) during a school library session when I was about nine years old. I'm 40 now and still distinctly remember how delighted I, and everyone else, was. I've just re-read it and it has indeed stood the test of time. :)

[Janna Odenthal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny book for silly kids and adults.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

See full review of this fun book on my book blog.

https://buildinglifelongreaders.blogs...

[JDG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all the crazy stuff!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visual adventure of exploring the detail of every page together.

[Angela]

A warm and whimsical adventure about a girl visiting her grandfather.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freaky illustrations fun story

[Grandma M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visiting Grandpa but something is off. Weird.

[Samantha Prodromou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bamboozled is simply brilliant, and it is so much fun to spot all the odd things. Beautiful illustration with the perfect short story to accompany it.

[Anna Youssef]

This book has amazing pictures with a variety of things in them that can keep children occupied for a long time. The book has animals in them, and several things wrong in the room that children can point out. There are also several household chores that children might be able to identify with. It is a really cultured book that has everyday life built into it, and makes the book seem memorable.

[Cassandra Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bamboozled by David Legge is a post modern picture book about a young girl who visited her grandfather for the weekend. Something about this visit though seems different to her. The pictures show the house as a trick house, but in the end the girl says its because the grandfather is wearing mismatching socks.

The illustration and the text are very different which makes the the drawing very important to the story. On one page, the text says that the girl is planting bulbs in the garden, but it does not mention that she is planting light bulbs instead of flower bulbs. Other silly draws are also featured in the illustrations. For example one one page there is a kangaroo and an elephant doing the dishes and on another a painting stealing a drink from the table. Such details in the illustrations would keep a child entertained for many reads.

The way that the text and illustrations interact adds a humorous element. The texts focuses on the little girl trying to figure out what is different about this visit to grandfathers. The reader can clearing see that this is not a normal house, but the girl and her grandfather don't bat an eye towards it. They act as if it is as normal as anything. Kids can find humor in this because to them everything is different, but the narrator doesn't notice it.

[Kinsey Hill]

A young girl visits her Grandpa who lives in a very strange house and is puzzled by his mismatched socks. The illustrations are very interesting.

[Sahvanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my ultimate favourite children's book!!!

I absolutely love the illustrations and the creativity behind it. I rave on about it all the time and don't know how many times I've borrowed it when I was a kid!

[Kennia Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING!! i love this book! The water color pictures are so vibrant that it tells the whole story! This story is about a boy who goes to visit his grandfather at his house. Everything is so odd. There is a tiger being fed in a high chair, there is a dog playing a card game at a table, and there is cowboys in the living room! strange? very. However, this book is so intriguing. I cannot explain how much the illustrations give the book a whole different vibe. Children will definitely enjoy reading this book because it will give them plenty to discuss and they can point out the different things that they see in the illustrations and make great conversations. I strongly suggest you pick up this book and read it!