All righty, then! Celebrate the tall and short of a marvelous friendship with this Bink and Gollie adventure. Gollie is quite sure she has royal blood in her veins, but can Bink survive her friend’s queenly airs — especially if pancakes are not part of the deal? Bink wonders what it would be like to be as tall as her friend, but how far will she stretch her luck to find out? And when Bink and Gollie long to get their picture into a book of record holders, where will they find the kudos they seek? Slapstick and sweetness, drollery and delight abound in this follow-up to the Geisel Award–winning, New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Bink and Gollie, written by the beloved and best-selling Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and brought to hilarious life by Tony Fucile. Gr 1-3-Bink and Gollie dream of royalty, fame, and stature in three amusing tales. In "Empire of Enchantment," Gollie is certain that queenly blood flows through her veins when she finds a picture of a regal aunt. She drives Bink crazy with all her airs. She sweeps through the streets complimenting the townsfolk on "their efforts on behalf of the empire." When it starts to rain, Gollie's snooty demeanor falters, and she's back to her old self. In the second story, Bink decides to get a Stretch-O-Matic since she is sick of being short and is sure that this device will do the trick. She is suspended from the ceiling in the complicated contraption when flabbergasted Gollie walks in. The whole thing comes crashing down, but Bink comes up with a creative way to fix the machine and feel tall at the same time. In "Kudos, Bink and Gollie," the friends decide to become famous by appearing in Flicker's Arcana of the Extraordinary, a Guinness Book of World Records-type compilation. Figuring that some sort of collection will land them in the book, they head off to Eccles' Empire of Enchantment. They buy 100 packages of 66 gold stickers each that they are sure is their ticket to fame. The plan doesn't pan out, but the clever duo comes up with a face-saving solution. The first story would make a fun read-aloud, as it lends itself to using alternately haughty and exasperated voices. All three stories feature Fucile's expressive and attitude-filled line drawings. Another humorous selection for those just beginning to dip into chapter books.-Diane McCabe, John Muir Elementary, Santa Monica, CAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Ah, best friendship. Short, wild-haired Bink and tall, neat-haired Gollie epitomize its ups and downs. In this sequel to Bink & Gollie (2010) and Bink & Gollie: Two for One (2012), DiCamillo and McGhee once again cleverly merge early reader, graphic novel, and picture book into a delightful ode to an unlikely duo. In the first of three short chapters, Gollie, looking through an old family album, finds a picture of crown-wearing Aunt Natasha, dated 1908, which confirms what she’s long suspected: “royal blood flowed in my veins.” So Gollie dons an impressive outfit of crown and scepter; only, Bink is not impressed, especially since no pancakes are involved in celebrating the royal news. The second finds Bink struggling with her petite stature, and so she orders the “Stretch-O-Matic” to try and lengthen herself out. Finally, in the last adventure, Bink and Gollie look into breaking a world record. Droll, and with spot-on emotions, this return of the dynamic, roller-skating pair will make fans cheer. Grades K-3. --Ann Kelley As in the previous books, the fresh , wry dialogue and Fucile's witty cartooning are as dynamic a pairing as Bink and Gollie themselves. —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Fans of Bink and Gollie will be pleased to welcome them back in three more humorous linked adventures that, as in their earlier appearances, play off their differences but ultimately affirm their mutual affection...Fucile’s digital artwork extends both the humor and the broad appeal. With wide-eyed, smiling characters, crisp black outlines and exaggerated details, they’re reminiscent of (really good) old-fashioned Saturday-morning cartoons. —Kirkus Reviews Just as in the first two series entries, the friends’ wildly different sensibilities—and their interests, both shared and disparate—tumble out through personality-filled dialogue and digital illustrations of barely contained chaos. —The Horn Book DiCamillo andMcGhee once again cleverly merge early reader, graphic novel, and picture book into a delightful ode to an unlikely duo...Droll, and with spot-on emotions, this return of the dynamic, roller-skating pair will make fans cheer . —Booklist [T]he text (almost all dialogue) retains its comic joy as it veers between Gollie’s formal drawl and Bink’s ebullience. As usual, Fucile packs his lines with springy energy... The page design has the lively paneled momentum and theatrical views of a graphic novel, and it effectively partners with the few swi