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STUNT CAT ACROSS AMERICA

Name: STUNT CAT ACROSS AMERICA
Author: Constance Lombardo
ISBN: 978-0-06-232068-1

From the Mr. Puffball series , Vol. 2

by Constance Lombardo ; illustrated by Constance Lombardo ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 27, 2016

Not a total hairball, but far from a first purr-chase.

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Mr. Puffball’s done with being a stunt cat…what’s next for him?

Mr. Puffball came to Hollywood in Stunt Cat to the Stars (2015) to be like his idol, El Gato, and ended up being El Gato’s stunt cat. Now he’s tired of being set on fire and nearly breaking every bone in his body, so he and El Gato have decided to make a buddy picture—they just have to sell it to the suits. Ever unreliable, El Gato leaves Mr. Puffball to pitch their idea, Mac & Cheesy’s Excellent Adventure, alone. It doesn’t matter; the suits like the idea of a buddy pic—but they want Jude Claw and Benedict Cumbercat to star instead of our heroes. The duo has one chance: to make a buddy picture demo reel that is better than Claw and Cumbercat’s. Good thing they have their Hollywood friends to help them out. They embark on a cross-country trek, joining Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, bungee jumping at the Hoover Dam, and leaping over the Grand Canyon (kind of), among other stunts…but someone seems to be sabotaging their efforts. As in the series opener, Lombardo’s second effort is full of spot comics and illustrations, but in this outing, most if not all of the jokes should be accessible to the target audience. That said, the cat puns and slapstick are not as funny as they want to be, and there are few surprises (or laughs). (Final art and aftermatter not seen.)

Not a total hairball, but far from a first purr-chase. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 7-11)

Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-232068-1

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
ITTY BITTY BETTY BLOB
by Constance Lombardo ; illustrated by Micah Player

- BOOK REVIEW
TINY SPOON VS. LITTLE FORK
by Constance Lombardo ; illustrated by Dan Abdo & Jason Patterson

- BOOK REVIEW
EVERYBODY SAYS MEOW
by Constance Lombardo ; illustrated by Constance Lombardo

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THE BAD GUYS

From the Bad Guys series , Vol. 1

by Aaron Blabey ; illustrated by Aaron Blabey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 3, 2017

We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face.

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Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.

As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.

We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)

Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
CRANKY PUG
by Aaron Blabey ; illustrated by Aaron Blabey

- BOOK REVIEW
CAT ON THE RUN IN CUCUMBER MADNESS!
by Aaron Blabey ; illustrated by Aaron Blabey

- BOOK REVIEW
CAT ON THE RUN IN CAT OF DEATH!
by Aaron Blabey ; illustrated by Aaron Blabey

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A SNOW DAY FOR PLUM!

by Matt Phelan ; illustrated by Matt Phelan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 7, 2023

Lively fun with animal friends.

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Has Plum’s pep deserted him?

Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.

Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)