Kathy Broderick (Booklist, Apr. 1, 2002 (Vol. 98, No. 15))
Bubba is a blond, blue-eyed baby boy, born into a loving family and wrapped in "his soft pink blankie." Beau is a "perfect little hound-puppy" also born into a loving family. They live together-- growing, chewing, playing. But it's a "sad day in Bubbaville" when the lovely, smelly blanket goes into the washing machine and comes out smelling of soap. As the blankie hangs drying on the line, Mama Pearl takes the opportunity to bathe both Bubba and Beau (while she is in the "cleaning mood"). In the end, Bubba and Beau are reunited with their blanket, and though clean, they nap peacefully. With quiet brilliance, this picture book in five chapters enters the cocoon of a child's private world. Howard, the illustrator of Cynthia Rylant's Mr. Putter and Tabby series, provides watercolor illustrations that are familiar and comforting, and Appelt's Texan lilt brings a burst of energy to the storytelling. Future titles in this new series will be welcomed. Category: Books for the Young--Fiction. 2002, Harcourt, $16. Ages 2-5.

Elizabeth Young (Children's Literature)
Here is a charming tale of best friends right from the beginning--birth to be exact. Bubba and Beau are brand new babies with equally proud papas. Bubba's papa, Big Bubba, even revved up his trusty pickup truck, Earl, and honked the horn as loud as he could. Beau's papa, Maurice, was so delighted he ran around in circles. Each had perfect babies--a perfect boy and a perfect hound. Both were busting with pride. What a commotion! Now Bubba and Beau do everything together--chewing, playing in the mud, crawling on all fours. Their friendship is bonded even more by Bubba's soft pinky-pink blankie. It is the best and it even smells like Bubba and Beau. Then, the unthinkable happens--Mama Pearl washes the blanket. Now it smells like soap. It is a sad day in Bubbaville. Since Mama is in a cleaning mood, Bubba and Beau get washed, too. Now everyone smells like soap. Once the blankie is dry and taken off the line, snappety-snap, blankie is back, and the best friends snuggle in it again. Howard, best known for his Mr. Putter and Tabby illustrations, creates warm and gentle watercolor illustrations, adding to the innocence and charm of life in a Texas town. Kathi Appelt sure has a winner in this story, even if Bubba and Beau outgrow their blankie. 2002, Harcourt, $16.00. Ages 0 to 4.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2003)
Chapter one heralds the arrival of Bubba, the beloved son of Big Bubba and Mama Pearl. Chapter two introduces Beau, puppy of hound dog parents Maurice and Evelyn. Both of these offspring live remarkably parallel lives, with doting mothers, and fathers who loudly proclaim their joy of parenthood, from Maurice's baying "Ar-ar-aroooooo!!!" to Big Bubba honking the horn of his trusty pickup truck "Toot! Toot! Tooooooooot!" Not only that, but both Bubba and Beau travel on all fours, like to chew, are not housebroken, are fond of mud, and detest soap. A glorious friendship between them is inevitable. Arthur Howard's humorous illustrations of humans and hounds are a perfect match for Texan Kathi Appelt's fond caricature of southern life. To sum up the fun: "One perfect baby. One perfect hound. And a lot of commotion!" CCBC categories: Picture Books For Younger Children. 2002, Harcourt, 32 pages, $16.00. Ages 3-6.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2002 (Vol. 70, No. 5))
A brand new baby and a newborn puppy find that they share the object of their affection-one very dirty blanket (and the object of their loathing)-soap. Chapter One features the arrival of Bubba to parents, Big Bubba and Mama Pearl. Wrapped in a tiny pink blanket, he is the "perfect Little Bubba." Beau is born to hound dogs, Maurice and Evelyn in Chapter Two. Both arrivals cause a lot of noisy celebration. The two meet in Chapter Three to find that they have a lot in common. They both love getting around on all fours and chewing on things, and the find they love mud and hate to baths. Their friendship blossoms and includes a mutual love for Bubba's dirty pink blanket. Everything seemed to be going well until Chapter Four, when Mama Pearl decides that the blanket needs a good washing. After a big commotion from both Beau and Bubba and a bath for each of them, Chapter Five finds that maybe they can live with the smell of soap. The similarities between baby and puppy in the comical illustrations make for an amusing tale of two unlikely friends. The chapter structure and decidedly Texan theme keep this from being just another sweet story about babies and puppies. A howling good time. 2002, Harcourt, $16.00. Category: Picture book. Ages 2 to 5. © 2002 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April 2002 (Vol. 55, No. 8))
A succinct text in brief chapters introduces baby Bubba and his best friend, the hound-dog puppy Beau. Both offspring are the apples of their respective parents’ eyes (a picture of Bubba Senior and Beau’s daddy, Maurice, in the back of Bubba’s pickup howling at the moon in celebration of the births is accompanied by the text “One perfect baby. One perfect hound. And a lot of commotion”). Bubba and Beau become fast friends, even going so far as to share Bubba’s perfect pink blankie. The day Mama Pearl washes the blankie is “a sad day in Bubbaville”--at least until the clean, dry blanket is returned to the also-bathed Bubba and Beau. Appelt’s snappy text is a readaloud romp, and Howard’s equally snappy watercolors provide an offbeat, slyly funny subtext. Uncluttered compositions, a clean pastel palette, solid drafting, and terrifically expressive faces combine with the conversational, cheeky text to make this one clever package. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2002, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2002, Harcourt, 32p, $16.00. Ages 4-7 yrs.

Virginia Gleaton (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 15, No. 1))
Bubba is the newborn son of Mama Pearl and Big Bubba. After Bubba's birth, he is wrapped in a soft pink blanket. This is the perfect little Bubba. Beau is a little hound puppy born to Maurice and Evenly. He is a perfect little hound puppy. Bubba and Beau become the best of friends. They travel around on all fours, chew on things, and they both love mud. It's a sad day in Bubbaville when Bubba's pink blanket gets washed. It no longer has the smell of Beau and Bubba on it. Mama bathes both Bubba and Beau. Now they both smell of soap. Mama removes the pink blankie from the clothesline and hands it to them. All is better, and best of all, the blankie smells like Bubba and Beau: best friends. This is a good book to show the meaning of friendship. Fiction. Grades K-3. 2002, Harcourt, Unpaged, $16.00. Ages 5 to 9.