Johnny Boo: The Mean Little Boy

Johnny Boo #4

by James Kochalka

James Kochalka’s beloved, all-ages series continues with another goofy romp! When Johnny Boo announces a play date with his quiet new friend Rocky the Rock, trusty sidekick Squiggle is left to find a new friend of his own. How about this nice fellow named the Mean Little Boy? He sure is fond of his butterfly net, and he’s got a great game to play with Squiggle… but, wait a minute, maybe the Mean Little Boy isn’t actually so nice! It’s up to Johnny Boo and Squiggle to find a way out of this pickle.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Humor, Ghosts, Graphic Novels Comics, Childrens, Picture Books

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

James Kochalka is an American comic book artist and writer, and rock musician. His comics are noted for their blending of the real and the surreal. Largely autobiographical, Kochalka's cartoon expression of the world around him includes such real-life characters as his wife, children, cat, friends and colleagues, but always filtered through his own observations and flights of whimsy. In March 2011 he will be declared the cartoonist laureate of Vermont, serving a term of two years.

Reviews

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Squiggle is sad. Johnny Boo doesn’t want to play with him! Actually, that’s not exactly true. It’s not that Johnny Boo doesn’t WANT to play with Squiggle. It’s that Johnny Boo has promised his friend, Rocky the Rock, that today will be a special Johnny Boo and Rocky day. So Squiggle must find someone else to play with, just for today. This leads Squiggle to interact with a little boy, who locks him in a jar! This is the fourth Johnny Boo book in Kochalka’s early reader graphic novel series. Kochalka’s illustrations are simple and playful, using bright colors and broad, curvy strokes to communicate a basic, backyard world. Although the title implies that the featured conflict will be with the mean little boy, many more pages are spent on Squiggle’s disappointment that Johnny Boo is not available for play than on the little boy’s meanness. This is a gentle book about friendship and the political dynamics of playtime. Even the bathroom humor is gentle. Libraries looking for calm, whimsical graphic novels which communicate the magic of childhood through the lens of a talking ghost will enjoy this title. \\pro review

Yeah, I like these, too.
The "political dynamics of playtime" are the source of so much angst in the world. It's hard not to be touched by this.

[Paula Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book that is about a friendly ghost and a mean little boy.

[Gabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you haven't yet read any of the Johnny Boo series, I advise you to grab a kid and do it. Actually, you don't even need the kid. They're fun for adults too!

Johnny Boo is a ghost and he has Boo Power. He has a pet ghost Squiggle who has Squiggle Power. Together they have many adventures.

In this book, Squiggle wants to play, but Johnny is busy playing with his friend Rocky Rock. (Yes, an actual rock - the first absurdity). Squiggle is upset but goes off to make other friends. The tree won't be friends with him, but he finally has a butterfly land on his head and Squiggle thinks they can be friends. But then, the Mean Little Boy comes along with his butterfly net and captures Squiggle and puts him in jar!!!! All the while, Squiggle thinks they are playing Butterfly and that they are having fun.

Now here comes the part that kids really enjoy (mostly the boys). The Mean Little Boy suddenly needs to leave because he has to go to the bathroom. He refuses to let Squiggle out and as the MLB races off Squiggle yells "I hope you pee in your pants!" Of course, being a well-mannered ghost, he realizes that he shouldn't have said that and yells "I hope you don't pee in your pants!"

Johnny appears. Rocky Rock apparently has some sort of appointment (!) so he can't play today and Johnny has been looking for Squiggle. Can he rescue Squiggle from the jar? Should they try to be friends with the Mean Little Boy?

Read it and see!

[Fatima Parra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonny Boo and The Mean Little Boy by James Kochalka is intended for young readers mostly around k-2. The story is about Johnny Boo's friend Squiggle wanting to play with him. Johnny Boo cannot play with him because he has other plans with his other friend Rocky Rock. Squiggle gets sad because he does not have any other friends to play with so he searches for one. He finds a mean boy that thinks hes a butterfly. This book is funny and adorable because they say things in here that children usually think is funny.
This book uses bright colors. They mostly use blue and green to represent nature since they are outside. I think these bright colors are another thing that might catch the young readers attention. It seems to me that the illustrations were made using pastel colors. They use diagonal lines to represent the movement of Squiggle.

[Crystal Sleeman]

Positive and/or Caution: Clearly placed panels, simple illustrations with bright bold colors, and large speech balloons are packaged nicely into short and readable chapters, perfect for beginning readers. Really wouldn't work too well in my classroom as my students are 6th graders. My beginning readers would be reluctant to read because the book has such bright and bold illustrations.
Audience: Beginning Readers (K-2)
Applications: Addressing how to handle difficult people. Good for the beginning of the school year to be placed in a Halloween unit because the main character is a ghost.
Citation: (2010, March 01). Publishers Weekly. http://www.booksinprint.com/DetailedV...#

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jackson brought this book, and another in the Johnny Boo series, home from the school library this week. We read it together last night and I am sorry to say we actually read the whole thing till the end. Rude and inappropriate. I understand that kids like potty humor - we read and enjoyed the entire Captain Underpants series. However, this was gratuitous and pointless. There was no plot to this story except to show how terrible "friends" can be, how an innocent yet equally inappropriate little guy can get taken in and taken advantage of by others. The book made me and my 7-year-old uncomfortable. We did not and will not read any of the other books by this author.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

My third and least favorite of the Johnny Boo books, once again geared toward the K-2 audience, probably the boys. This one focuses on Squiggles new friend, Mean Little Boy, who thinks Squiggle is a butterfly. Mean Little Boy tries to catch Squiggle, who is so innocent he is oblivious to Mean Little Boy's malicious nature. Boo comes along and saves the day, not because he is nice, but because he has a cold. Interspersed in this book are "Oh shut up" and jokes about peeing your pants. Not MY favorite things for a K-2 book, but perhaps little boys will love it.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the Johnny Boo books, but don't love them. It alternates between somewhat surreal humor and a secondary character, Squiggle, who is just not very bright and a little annoying.
In this volume, Johnny has decided to spend a special day with a friend who is, in fact, a rock. It's hard to tell if his friendship with the rock is real or a joke that he's playing on Squiggle, although he does apparently catch a cold from Rocky...but then, how does a ghost catch a cold?
The story is cute enough, and entertaining, just not great.

[Justyn Rampa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quirky in a way that reminded me of Long Tale Kitty, although I didn't like it quite as much. Again, this seems pretty geared towards little boys and it did make me laugh out loud. (Admittedly, it was at a pee pee joke) The illustrations were wonderful and vibrant. I could totally dig this series!

[Katharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 7-year old beginning reader was able to read the whole thing. So many early readers put in a few too-hard words, or the book is all tongue twisters and difficult to read out loud. This was perfect, and very silly.

[Nancy Jo Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was super funny! I love Johnny Boo! One of my librarian friends turned me onto this last year, and I was so excited to get these for my new library this year! My sone laughed out loud at this one because it talked about pee and peeing in your pants. Plus Squiggle is hilarious!

[Betsy · Rating 1 out of 5]

While my 6 year old really seemed to like this book, I found very little merit in it. The mean boy was exactly that... mean, with no apparent reason or resolution. The "pee in your pants" situation was also crass & pointless. This was my 1st taste of Johnny Boo & probably the last.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

On par with the rest of them... I don't know that I could ever tire of reading Johnny Boo. Solid beginning reader comics for sure.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and strange.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids and I laughed a lot while reading this! Funny book!

[Jennifer Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Squiggle: "I'm playing butterfly with my new friend, the Mean Little Boy."
Johnny Boo: "Oh, he sounds nice."

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kochalka's got a fun thing here with Johnny Boo.

[Sidekicks Wanted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and strange.

[The Book Box]

I like Johnny Boo a lot! This was the first one Mama read to me, and I liked following along in a graphic novel.

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars