This cute book with adorable and vibrant illustrations will have kids wanting to help solve the mystery!

The first thing I have to note about this book is that it rhymes. If you've followed my blog for very long you know that I have a fraught relationship with rhyming picture books. They tend to be awkward to read. But Newson handles the structure well. There is no labored text, no lines that sacrifice understanding for the sake of a rhyme. The plot is pretty straightforward, our protagonist searching for the Blue Bagoo in order to prove how dangerous it is since there are warnings about it all over town. Of course, we discover that the Blue Bagoo is nothing like the rumors, proving that assumptions are harmful. The highlight is the illustrations. They remind me somewhat of the Moomin characters. They're a bit odd but in a good way. I could see this one going over well with a wide range of kids.

What a cute children’s story with a beautiful message and illustrations! There were many things to enjoy about this work. I loved that the protagonist was dressed like Sherlock Holmes and gathering clues from all the different characters. This was such a fun way to see how rumors spread and was a wonderful way to see many cute character illustrations. The author also did an excellent job with the rhyming and rhythm of the text, making it a pleasure to read. I imagine reading it aloud would be even more enjoyable. The characters were a fun mix of human and anthropomorphized animals, which is always enjoyable in children books. And the illustrations were absolutely lovely.

The message of the story is an important one. Rumors and gossip are often powerful, hurtful, and simply untrue. There are also a couple lovely quotes in there, including, “If it’s love that we give it’s love that we’ll find.” I highly recommend this engaging read for young children.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. We see a young detective trying to find a mythical creature. They keep hearing terrible stories about this beast about awful things they have done to others. Yet when the creature is found, it ends up being nothing like any of them expected it to be. Kids will have a great time reading this book.

This cute, rhyming and made-up word picture book tells the story of a town full of people afraid of the Blue Bagoo. When a little girl tries to figure out what a Blue Bagoo is, she is surprised to find out he is quite tiny and not very scary! It is a very imaginative story, somewhat in line with what Dr. Seuss wrote. The only thing that I don't love is that the font is all over the page and would be difficult for beginning readers to follow/comprehend. I think this would make a nice read aloud story with a parent and young child though. I would recommend this book to families of children in the age 3-7 range. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

Five star read. This book needs to be read aloud to truly love. The cadence and the pattern to the story are just as important as the story itself and I love that this is not a typical cadence. We have a student who is trying to find out what the blue Bagoo is. The rumor around town is it’s big and hairy. It’s nasty it’s mean. But sometimes a rumor is just a rumor and people or baggees are not the horrible thing they’ve been made out to be. This book is a reminder to find information for yourself, and not just believe what everyone else is telling you. It’s a child first book on miss information and it’s absolutely fabulous.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
A young detective gathers the facts about The Blue Bagoo. They hunt through the town and listen to all of the rumors to get their facts. The problem is, they find that their information is just that, rumors. Everything they found out was wrong about the Blue Bagoo, so they go on a mission to correct the rumors with facts.
This is a short, cute book about the damage that rumors can have. The illustrations were wonderful and each page worked almost as a "seek and find" to find a hidden Blue Bagoo. This is a good book for younger readers to entertain and teach.

Kids love a memorable character and the blue bagoo is certainly that. But what exactly is it and where does it live?

After hearing endless tales about the scary blue bagoo, a detective sets out to uncover the truth about this mysterious creature. The town may be rife with rumours but the blue bagoo is hard to track down. Will the tales prove to be tall or true?

Told in simple, catchy and sing-songy rhyme, this is a story that's full of important themes: judging others, spreading rumours, evoking fear, being kind and discovering the truth for yourself. There's a fun twist that will keep readers on their toes and a satisfying ending that could help to support an early years PSHE lesson or simply prompt discussion at home. Although the message is serious though, the tone remains light throughout and I'm pretty positive that there will be a lot of little ones who want a blue bagoo toy at the end of their bed.

When fear of the unknown causes rumors to spread, and GROW, it takes some detective work to figure out the truth. Here's a sweet story about conquering fears, ignoring the gossip, and finding out for yourself what is real.

The author's illustrations are cute and colorful.

A fun read for all ages.

Do you have children or students that are spreading rumours? Or maybe easily believe the chatter that so easily goes around the playground? Perhaps they live in the shadows fearful of certain people or things because they simply do not know the entire truth. Karl Newson’s latest book Beware The Blue Bagoo is exactly what you need in your collection. A little detective wants desperately to figure out just what this Bagoo is and why everyone in Rumorville is afraid of it. The detective uncovers clues that take on quite a twist. The illustration are colourful and and attractive the the readers eye. The various characters and Bagoo illustrations are intriguing and will keep children engaged.

Let’s teach our children the importance of not simply having knee jerk reactions to the things they hear and in turn placing judgment on others.

‘Beware The Blue Bagoo’ by Karl Newson is a fun rhyming picture book set in the port town of ‘Rumourville’. The book engages from the first page, when a young detective addresses the reader directly asking “Who – oh – who is the Blue Bagoo?”. Setting off with her notebook, our detective trails around the town looking for clues, and we the reader happily follow, as she takes statements from residents, who all have worrying things to report. There are signs throughout the town telling folk to ‘Beware The Blue Bagoo’. Word has spread that it is a wild grizzly creature “as tall as a tree” and “as bad as they come”. It even gobbles up children for lunch - eek!

Like all good stories there’s a twist in the tale, and as a result, our detective seeks to dispel fear of the Blue Bagoo that has spread with misinformation and rumour. The message for young readers is a gentle but clear one; let’s not judge others based on what we are told about them or by what they look like. Rather, let’s take the time to get to know and understand others in our community, show kindness and respect, and this will be shown back to us. A timely reminder for our world today.

The rhyming text is perfect for reading aloud, and works beautifully with Andrea Stegmaier’s bright colourful illustrations. These add depth and move the story forward at an engaging pace. There is a clear distinction in the faces and body language of the townsfolk that are drawn fearful and critical initially, but then relaxed, happy and open after they have come to know the Blue family. The spreads are wonderfully detailed, with lots to notice and discuss, and children will have great fun looking for all the little Blues.

I would highly recommend this book for all children, and especially those in primary libraries and KS1 classrooms.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Beware the Blue Bagoo is a fun, rhyming picture book for children with a great message about how rumors can grow and grow causing fear and misinformation and can hurt those the rumors are about. This is such a fun read to read aloud and the illustrations are bright and fun to look at too. Children will adore this book and take away a great piece of information from it too about not always believing rumors about people and how wrong they can be too.

The book is like if Harriet the Spy and Dr. Seuss became a book, but better than that sounds. It actually has a really good message about rumors about things we know little to nothing about, as well as how love and kindness matters.

A cute little rhyming book that reminds us how harmful rumors can be. I love that the main character tries their best to find answers before jumping to the same conclusions as everyone else. The illustrations are bright and colorful. A great book for a read-a-long.

In a Nutshell: A good story that highlights the dangers of the rumour mill.

You might have the same question as I did: Who is the Blue Bagoo? The narrator of this story, a detective, also ponders the same. Going around the neighbourhood asking for clues about the Blue Bagoo turns out to be a fruitless endeavour, as everyone knows what the Bagoo does but no one knows who it is. Unexpectedly, the Bagoo turns up right in between the investigation. What do you think will happen next?

The first half of the book contains the mystery element about the identity of the elusive Bagoo while the latter half contains an important lesson. I did want to know a little more about the Bagoo. But just as it happens in real life, we can see the impact of a rumour, but we don’t know who started it or why.

More than the story itself, I loved the message put forth by the book about how rumours spread, how they are usually baseless, and how we must not jump to conclusions on hearsay nor spread gossip. A lesson worth remembering for all of us, little or older.

Some of the content in the initial section might be a bit frightening to little readers (depending on their comfort level, of course) as there’s talk of the Bagoo making a meal from humans. But the latter half does explain away the scary elements, so I hope kids will realise how wild rumours can become and why we should not be afraid just because of hearsay.

The content is written in simple rhythmic verse that flows well at times but is jumpy here and there. There’s a good mix of short and long sentences with loads of adjectives and action words, that will make this book fun to read aloud with voice effects.

The illustrations are quirky, cute and colourful while not being exaggerated. The citizens seem to be a mix of humans and anthropomorphic animals that are united in their fear of Blue Bagoo.

Overall, a nice enough story with a fabulous message: don’t believe all you hear. Recommended for readers aged 4-6 years.

4 stars.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books, Happy Yak, and NetGalley for the DRC of “Beware The Blue Bagoo”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This is a sweet picture book about not judging others based on rumors you hear. It also sends the message that spreading rumors can be harmful to others. As an elementary special education teacher, it's an important part of my job to help children understand that even though there are others who may look, act, or learn differently than they do, all individuals want friends and to be accepted.

The illustrations are bright and colorful with at least one blue creature hidden in every picture, making the reader wonder if it could be the Blue Bagoo. The text is simple, allowing the illustrations to help take on a role in the storytelling.

I would recommend adding this to a classroom library for elementary school teachers to use as both a fun read and a way to teach about acceptance of others.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HappyYak for an eARC of #BewaretheBlueBagoo by #KarlNewson illustrated by #AndreaStegmaier

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. An adorable book about being afraid of what people are saying rather than checking it out for yourself. Great message for little ones.

: "I received a copy of this book via Netgalley Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Beware the Blue Bagoo is such a fun book to read outloud. The pictures are fun and the lesson about rumors is a great one. I loved reading this book to niece and she seemed to like it too.

A beautiful book with a wonderful message cautioning young readers against rumors. Readers see firsthand how rumors fueled fear and misunderstandings in a community. Written in rhyming verse, this story makes a great kickoff for discussion on belonging, acceptance, and the power of kindness. Engaging illustrations make for an immersive read-aloud experience. Plenty of reread value and a great addition to and school library.

Oh goodness, this is a super sweet and fun book to read! My kids even made me start it again! The rhyming and pacing were loads of fun. Yes, this story had heart and a lesson about the importance of not believing everything you hear, but I really liked that the lesson didn't overshadow the joy that comes from a quirky and sweet story. The art style is also really sweet - my kids loved all the different characters and the colours used throughout.