One doesn’t want to meditate too closely on the reasons why Tom Robbins, mischievous author of ‘Even Cowgirls Get the Blues’ and other novels, might have been moved to write a children’s book about beer.

Whatever his impetus, Robbins tells a novella-length story about Gracie, a kindergartner who wonders ‘why [her] daddy likes beer so much,’ ‘why he sometimes acts kind of ‘funny’ after he’s been drinking beer,’ and ‘where beer comes from, because [she’s] pretty sure it isn’t from a cow.’

Robbins populates his story with wacky characters like Uncle Moe, a ‘radical bozo’ with a ‘fancy smart-mouth,’ a Sunday-school teacher driven to distraction by the very mention of beer, and the Beer Fairy. He's not above an awful pun or two (‘she gave the brewski back, sadder Budweiser’), but he's also a great believer in the human drive to get at the essence of all things. B Is for Beer is for all those Robbins fans who, without quite realizing it, have been pining for the right moment to introduce their children to this merry prankster.

Sonja Bolle, Newsday

Author Tom Robbins, he of the talking spoons and Argonian invaders, might be the last person one would expect to pen a children's book. But Robbins' latest, 'B is for Beer', isn't your typical 'Hansel & Gretel' yarn.

'B is for Beer: A Children's Book for Grown-ups . . . A Grown-up Book for Children' is social satire gussied up as children's literature.

Young minds couldn't grasp a fraction of the gags scattered across its 125 pages. It's prototypical Robbins, but the author can't sustain the high level of whimsy despite its modest length.

The book follows a young girl named Gracie Perkel and her curiosity about, what else, beer. It's the elixir her father drinks, and so does nearly other every other adult she knows. But she's forbidden to so much as sip it.

No fair, says little Gracie.

Beer remains the visible sin for children, a beverage their parents can't seem to do without, but one they're forbidden to sample. And even when they're allowed a sip, it often causes them to recoil in disgust. Robbins uses that reaction to fine comic effect, making Gracie's predictable reaction feel fresh.

Enter Uncle Moe, a clear stand-in for the avuncular author. He's a skeptical '60s throwback who decides to teach young Gracie all about the wonderful world of beer. Readers will wish he played a bigger role in the story.

But Uncle Moe's plans are derailed, setting the stage for a fantastical character, the Beer Fairy, to step in on his behalf.

'B is for Beer' starts with great promise, and Robbins' signature snark is delivered in small but potent doses. He's almost parodying himself with his use of metaphors and vivid descriptors, but within the childlike context each is a rib-tickling delight.

Who knew the eclectic author could switch gears so gently to deliver a faux children's yarn?

He's equally adept at capturing Gracie's unquenchable innocence, the kind that exists only in a kindergartner's head.

Robbins the social commentator isn't on such solid footing. He sneaks in a sly swipe at organized religion, one of his preferred targets, in one cheeky passage that sheds new light on Gracie's mother. But the author can't resist doubling down on the insult a few paragraphs later to bludgeon his own critique.

At times, 'Beer' is as pugnacious as one could hope for — Robbins describes golf as 'basketball for people who can't jump and chess for people who can't think.' Ouch.

Robbins can't resist mocking his own prose, letting his narrator tsk-tsk him for writing something as profoundly silly as describing Gracie's life as lying 'scattered in pieces like a disco ball after an earthquake.'

The mood sinks when the Beer Fairy takes us on a tour of how beer is made. The passages become pedestrian, slowing the narrative and introducing an unwelcome sense of reality.

The story ends in a hurried fashion, jarring the casual tone established so expertly throughout. It's the kind of happy ending one would anticipate in a children's tale, but in Robbins' version of kid lit the impact isn't so welcome.

'B is for Beer' isn't meant for children, at least ones as young as the precious Gracie. But kids at heart, and anyone bemused by Robbins' previous novels, will guzzle down Robbins' latest brew.

Christian Toto, Denver Post

Robbins’ newest is billed as ‘a children’s book for grown-ups’ and ‘a grown-up book for children.’ In the 125 page story, 5-year-old Gracie Perkel wonders what the stuff daddy drinks is ‘that’s yellow and looks like pee.’ And in the whimsical, absurdist way typical of the author, she finds out (with help from the Beer Fairy). But should youngsters be exposed to the alcoholic drink in such a nonserious manner? ‘Children see beer commercials every time they watch a sporting event on TV,’ Robbins tells Required Reading. ‘In the supermarket, they pass shelves and coolers overflowing with beer. Neon beer signs wink at them s they’re driven to school, church, or the mall. Kids are constantly exposed to beer, it’s everywhere. Isn’t it time that somebody explained to them – in a thoughtful, funny and entertaining manner – not just its genuine dangers but its secrets, its origins, and the reasons for its wide appeal?’ Revealing his own history with the brew, Robbins says he had his first at 16. ‘Had I known what I’d been missing, I may have imbibed far sooner. David Copperfield, remember, was a regular in the ale houses at age 8. These days, however, I’m afraid I’ve settled into a state of fairly constant sobriety.’

Billy Heller, New York Post