Pine & Boof: Blast Off!

Pine & Boof #2

by Ross Burach

Frog  and Toad meets Elephant & Piggie  in the second installment of a humorous and heartfelt picture book series about the adventures of Boof the bear and Pine the porcupine, from the acclaimed author-illustrator of  There’s a Giraffe in My Soup  and  I Am Not a Chair!

There’s no one Boof the bear would rather spend the day with than his best friend—Pine the porcupine. And there’s nothing he’d rather do than collect things, which is his favorite hobby of all time. So one day, when Boof is collecting rocks with Pine, he doesn’t think the day could get any better, until . . .

An egg falls on Boof’s head—all the way from outer space! Now it’s up to Pine and Boof to return the space egg to its space nest . . . before it hatches. They’ll need a rocket ship, space training, and plenty of sandwiches for the trip. But most important, they’ll need each other to complete a mission that’s out of this world!

Pine & Boof: Blast Off! tells the story of an unlikely friendship through highly original characters and vibrant illustrations that are impossible not to love.

Genres: Picture Books, Space, Friendship, Childrens, Adventure, Humor, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pine and Boof, the porcupine/bear duo who debuted in author/illustrator Ross Burach's Pine & Boof: The Lucky Leaf , return in this second madcap adventure. When an egg falls on Boof's head, while the pair are rock collecting, clever Pine deducts that it has come from outer space, and immediately begins making plans to return it to its home. Pine and Boof are going to outer space!

Like its predecessor, Pine & Boof: Blast Off! pairs an engaging and humorous story of two oddball friends with colorful, appealing artwork. I don't know if I'd go as far as comparing this pair with Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad, as I have seen some do, but their friendship and adventures do make for an amusing read. Children, in particular, will enjoy being "in the know," when it comes to what is really going on in the story, as opposed to the characters. Recommended to anyone who read and enjoyed the first story about Pine and Boof, and to anyone looking for odd couple friendship stories.

[Mariam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Boof so much.

[SABRINA · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the cutest series of picture books I have read! The illustrations are wonderful and the actual writing is enough to keep all ages engaged!

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alena and I enjoyed getting acquainted with Pine and Boof today. We read the two books and enjoyed them. I like this author, so I put them on hold with my library.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable.

[Ender · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book showcases children’s incredible imaginations. You can easily imagine your kids going on adventures and creating spaceships out of aluminum foil after reading this book. The space themes will resonate with many too.

Teaching: imagination
Ages: 4-9

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super funny book about two friends who catch an egg that falls from the sky. They think the egg must be from space so they build a spaceship. Lots of funny moments and pretend play with the spaceship. There are several small pictures throughout the book so it would make a better lower elementary one-on-one story.

[Misbah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pine and Boof are goofing around when suddenly an egg falls from the sky. They assume that its obviously from space. So they build a space ship to help return it to its home. They get to "space" just as it hatches and they return the space bird to its space mama.


This one was super cute! Definitely one I would recommend.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

love how they friends work together based on their strengths (spoiler alert: one of them is a talented sandwich-maker which is of course the greatest talent of all). if you have a kid that loves space and science they'll love explaining g-force to you!

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just lovvvvve these illustrations so much. An adorable second Pine & Boof book.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pine and Boof are enthusiastic, silly, and have great imaginations.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I liked the first Pine & Boof better, but this was really cute still! Pine & Boof build a rocket to go to space, but they end up in a cave instead and think they're on another planet.

[Amanda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a fun read-aloud for ages 5-6.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers are in on the joke from the beginning of this entertaining, albeit a little quirky, book. Though Boof (a bear) and Pine (a porcupine) think the egg is from outer space, the illustrations clearly show that it fell from a birds’ nest in a nearby tree. The two friends construct a rocket out of a log, and when launching it, fall backwards into a cave instead of going into space; readers will see that the ‘stars’ are fireflies and the ‘space monster’ is the mother bird. These and other jokes within the pencil and acrylic illustrations will entertain readers, while the story is a self-contained adventure that is just the right length for the intended audience. The soft, round characters with large eyes and the nature settings are well-drawn and appealing. Share this as a space- or friendship-themed read aloud or one-on-one with readers ages 3-7.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pine, the porcupine and Boof, the bear, are out for a walk when something falls from the sky and hits Boof on the head. By the shape, color, and markings, Pine knew that it was an egg ... FROM OUTER SPACE! In a flash, the two friends are building a rocket so that they can return the egg to space. Well, Pine is building ... Boof is struggling to think of a name for their rocket and eating sandwiches. Then, Pine puts Boof through a series of activities to help him get reading for space travel. Finally, they are ready to blast off in their rocket. Do they make it? And what will be waiting for them if they do?

Fun illustrations will make this a great read aloud.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would love to try this for a storytime! There was so much to love here. I wish that they would make a stuffed animal of Boof (even his name is genius--I just want to say it over again and again--it's so much fun! "Boof Boof Boof!") because he is just so CUDDLY. I love Pine too (clearly he is the brains of the operation); you cannot cuddle a porcupine though. Sorry, Pine. These brave adventurers are the bomb!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

While out collecting rocks one day, an egg falls on Boof the Bear's head, and after examining it, Pine the Porcupine concludes it's an egg from outer space. So starts the adventure of building a rocket ship to return the space egg to its nest before it hatches. Fun read that shows what teamwork can accomplish.

[Syntha Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful adventure

[Michelle Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Themes: space travel, friends

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pine & Boof are building a rocket to get to space. The two seem to have differnt goals and will they make it to space? Preschool and up

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy did I need this - a quick trip back to the childhood days of adventurous yearning - love the art!

[Norkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it, what a couple of lovable characters thoroughly enjoying themselves together on a mission!

[David Haggett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good plot twist! Blast off!

[Todd]

very cute

[Ashlin Edmisten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pine & Boof books are fun for kids who like to point out inaccuracies in the text versus the illustrations. They're funny and engaging. Definitely a book for an older crowd or for one-on-one reading.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but Peter didn't get it

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The humor in this story is perfect for adults and children alike!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be fun for an elementary class.

[Angelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Rolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute! Loved the illustrations, the friendship between Pine and Boof, and their imaginative play. Gonna be looking for the other Pine and Boof books at the library.