Cute & Cuter

MICHAEL TOWNSEND is the author of Monkey and Elephant's Worst Fight Ever!, Billy Tartle in Say Cheese!, and the Kit Feeny graphic novels. While he may not be as cute as a dozen hamsters dancing in a field of flowers while eating cupcakes, he is a reasonably attractive person.

PreS-Gr 2-Janie Jane, "an expert on all things cute," receives the cutest dog ever for her birthday, Sir Yips-a-lot. The two do everything together, until one year later when Janie Jane receives "The World's Cutest Kitty" as a gift. Sir Yips-a-lot tries in vain to regain his position; he makes his cutest faces and does his cutest tricks, but to no avail. In a fit of jealousy, he pops Lady Meow-meow out the mail slot and into the dark night. His victory is short-lived as Janie Jane is inconsolable. So fearing the worst, but needing to do the right thing, the pup heads out to find Lady Meow-meow, who joyfully licks Sir Yips-a-lot while Janie Jane declares, "THIS IS THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!" From then on the three are inseparable, until one year later when Janie Jane gets the cutest octopus ever....Picture book and comic book successfully combine here. There are dialogue balloons with fun fonts (and hearts) and panels of various sizes, plus narrative text and traditional full-page pictures. The illustrations, reminiscent of Nick Jr. cartoons, are crisp, clean, and digitally colored in bright, bold shades. Excellent facial expressions add warmth, and plenty of exclamation points (including implied ones) emphasize cuteness. Sure to be popular with the comic-book and the overkill-is-funny crowds.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NHα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.