Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
The attempts of an ambitious tinkerer to build a flying machine in the late 18th century are brought amusingly to life in a presentation of his imaginary diary, complete with quotations. Captain Manuel J. Arsenio describes six of his ingenious but hilariously unsuccessful projects--complete with timeline--in the flight diary. This showcases his thoughtful design along with his complete ignorance of the laws of physics. Among the designs are the use of many harnessed canaries, a powerful spring, dangerous variations on a hydrogen balloon and gas engine, and even the power of a hamster on his running wheel. All end in physical distress, but the captain never falters. Of course, the inspired attempts at flight are comic wonders, but the real rib-ticklers are the detailed illustrations assembled from “collaged original art and found objects.” The front end-papers display pencil sketches of each idea, while the back pages show us, in full color, the captain earnestly situated in each. There are full-page pictures and double-page action sequences--eight per disaster--from the diary, with the firm-jawed captain in determined control, then out of it. The book’s flavor is foreign, but should prove a tasty dish for Americans raised on cartoon adventures 2005, Houghton Mifflin Company, $16.00. Ages 6 to 10.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 8))
Drawing from the pages of a recently "discovered" journal, Bernasconi chronicles the uniformly disastrous experiments of forgotten aviation pioneer Manuel J. Arsenio, an 18th-century Patagonian who, though he had "little knowledge of physics or mechanics and had access only to useless materials," turned to flight after failing at cheese making, scuba diving and other ventures. Repeated exclamations of "It cannot fail!" notwithstanding, each of Arsenio's Da Vinci-esque inventions-six of which, from the "Corkscrewpterus," to the "Hamstertronic," Bernasconi depicts in detailed collages made from gears, belts, wires and other, mostly metal, found materials-stay intact just long enough to set the hapless captain up for a long fall. Resembling Humpty Dumpty with a pointy nose and a serious underbite, Arsenio cuts a decidedly comic figure, but by the end, his unflagging optimism will have won at least some reader sympathy, and if, as Bernasconi suggests, his journal was found on the Moon, perhaps in the end he did achieve his dream. 2005, Houghton Mifflin, 40p, $16.00. Category: Picture book. Ages 7 to 9. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lisa Lea Hardey (Library Media Connection, February 2006)
Manuel J. Arsenio was a man with a dream. He was determined that one day he would fly. Beginning in 1782, Captain Arsenio attempted the first in a string of projects that would make his dream a reality. His invention was called the Motocanary. Although it was a failure, he did not give up. He went on to complete 18 flying machines and left behind a 90-page diary that outlined each of these attempts with notes, diagrams, and doodles. Pablo Bernasconi brings six of the more successful attempts to life with illustrations that are simple and mixed with originals from the diary. A two-page spread describes the project and the following two pages show the attempt outlined on a grid showing the phases and the heights achieved. The light and often-humorous text is peppered with quotes from Arsenio's diary. The author notes that no one knows what happened to Arsenio. The reader is left to contemplate the question: Did he eventually succeed? Highly Recommended. 2005, Houghton Mifflin, 40pp., $16 hc. Ages 5 to 11.

Krista Hutley (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May 2005 (Vol. 58, No. 9))
In 1782, Captain Arsenio decided to build a flying machine, and now the long-lost diary of his attempts has been found; his experiments--from the Motocanary to the Hamstertronic--are reproduced here complete with project descriptions, flight notes, and inspiring quotations. This mock diary, "second only to Leonardo da Vinci's," is pure Monty Python in its style and execution. The combination of Arsenio's nanve commentary on his success and the pictures detailing what's really happening increase the dramatic irony. Bernasconi's chunky, textured collages call to mind Terry Gilliam's surreal stop-action animation, especially in the flight diaries that show step-by-step Arsenio's takeoff and eventual crash landing in each new apparatus. Arsenio's contraptions, illustrated with found objects and standing in sharp relief against a stark white background, are oddly clever, just the sort of thing a smart kid would think up: among others, a flock of birds tied together like balloons, a giant corkscrew, and a hamster running in a wheel combine with various cogs, screws, wheels, and fans to make outlandish, spectacular failures. Arsenio himself is full of plucky determination; his daffy, toothy grin never falters, and his introduction to each new project always ends with "It cannot fail!" Kids will laugh (hard) at Arsenio, and perhaps they'll also be moved to invent something better of their own. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2005, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2005, Houghton, 40p, $16.00. Grades 3-5.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2005)
The fictitious diary of Captain Manuel J. Arsenio (an incompetent jack-of-all-trades) chronicles his career as an inventor of flying machines. Highlighted in quirky collage illustrations are six of his contraptions and the failed attempts to fly them, including the Hamstertronic (powered by a hamster on a treadmill). Though the format is monotonous, the book is well written and playful. Category: Picture Books. 2005, Houghton, 40pp, 16.00. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.