Full Text Review(s)
"From the creators of Bongo Larry, Ice Cream Larry and the like, here is Larry the polar bear, once again appropriately positioned at the very center of his parallel universe. As fans of Larry know, he lives at the Hotel Larry with his friend "little Mildred Frobisher" and her parents. Mildred is the first person narrator who tells us Larry's stories. In this delightful sequel, Larry overhears conversation about a sleepover and decides to host one of his own. With Mildred as scribe, he dictates a letter to Mr. Goldberg, the bear keeper at the zoo and the planning begins in earnest. Larry's voice is always deeply polite and engagingly ponderous. In fact, it's almost reminiscent of Pinkwater's own voice in his much beloved NPR Weekend Edition Saturday conversations with Scott Simon about children's books. Sleepover Larry will hit the spot with Pinkwater's youngest fans, and is sure to work wonderfully well in read-aloud situations with young listeners who may themselves be contemplating sleepovers. Pizza, a scary movie, and two unexpected guests (a ravenous wolf and a surprisingly phlegmatic bunny) round out the night, and everyone has a terrific time. And yes, the bunny's just fine. In the morning, it's blueberry pancakes with syrup, and the whimsical story concludes with the guests going back to the zoo with Mr. Goldberg. This series title that stands equally well alone, is a friendly nod to anyone who ever invited real or imaginary friends home with no other purpose than to have loads of fun."

"Larry the polar bear returns for another adventure at the Hotel Larry. Mildred Frobisher, who narrates the story, has just had a sleepover, and now Larry wants to have one as well. Mildred helps him send out the invitations, plan the entertainment, and prepare the menu. Larry and his friends (three polar bears, a wolf, and a bunny) dance ("the flat foot floogie"), watch a scary movie (Wild Polar Bears of the Frozen North), and dine (blueberry muffins, codfish cakes, and pizza with anchovies) with Mildred until bedtime. Then she retires to her room and the animals play on the lawn and giggle late into the night outside their tents. Everyone behaves well and has a swell time in this good-natured frolic. The story’s understated humor is perfectly matched with the bright, cheerful illustrations. The white polar bears pop against vivid backgrounds, and the clean text is easy to read. Kids may be inspired to have their own sleepovers after reading this pleasant romp, although they might want to skip the codfish ice cream."

"The Pinkwaters bring back Larry the polar bear, veteran of much foolishness and fan of blueberry muffins and cod pizza. He lives in a hotel bearing his name, run by his human friends the Frobishers, where he serves as the lifeguard and general mischief-maker. In this latest installment, Larry and a number of chums from the zoo manage to have a high old time at their inaugural sleepover, without getting arrested or detonating their usual sense of mayhem. Instead, they act like a bunch of kids; that, of course, is the charm. They order a pizza, watch a scary movie (a documentary starring their Uncle Dave: "Look what Uncle Dave is doing! Look, he’s after the walrus! Run away, walrus! Run away! Oh no!"), fool around outside with flashlights and chatter long into the night. Daniel Pinkwater’s text is perfectly deadpan and Jill Pinkwater’s deeply saturated colors set off perfectly the great white splash of Larry and company. What ought to move readers most—get them up and fancy dancing—is the crazy song that occupies a good slice of the book and to which all engage in a cool jive. Polar bears, you know, love to dance: "Floy doy, floy doy, floy doy."