MUSTACHE DUCKSTACHE

It’s a whiskers-off in the animal kingdom.

The walruses are holding a mustache contest, and animals of many species sign up to show off their crumb-catchers. First come the judges (all walruses) and spectators, then the contestants, beginning with a rabbit with an impressive lip rug. A frog hops up to compare its pushbroom…followed by a mallard with a pencil-thin handlebar “duckstache.” When a penguin in a top hat shows off some pretty impressive lip luggage, the crowd—with fake mustaches on sticks and big foam mustaches—goes wild. Snake sports a “musssstache,” and the mice their “mousestaches.” There is a “moooostache” and a “meowstache” and a “moosestache.” Whales, skunks, a giraffe, a snail, and more show off their facial hair. Bear causes a stir with a “beard” that seems to be the front-runner if excitement in the crowd is any indication. But last to arrive is a sporty “goatee” for the win. The Youngs’ debut picture book is short on text (it is conveyed entirely in speech bubbles containing plays on the word mustache) but long on foolishness. The cartoon illustrations (a mix of spot and full bleed) will incite giggles as the animals compare their nose-bugs while trying to out-whisker one another. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.8-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 29.4% of actual size.)

Good hairy fun.