BATTLE IN THE BACKYARD

Break-dancing wildlife take a talking sandwich hostage.

Pursued by “psycho squirrels,” Marco and his older sister, Julia (both brown-skinned), barely make it inside their house. Marco decides to make one of his “best in the world” sandwiches for his skeptical sister (“A sandwich is a sandwich”), who goes to the backyard to read. As his dog, Poofypants, looks on, Marco makes “sandwich magic” from standard ingredients and secret sauce. Just then, the squirrels come in through the window in an attempt to steal the sandwich. Poofy chases them away, and suddenly Marco discovers that the sandwich talks, thanks, it seems to Marco’s even greater-than-boasted-of culinary prowess. Sandwich is also a bit boastful, rattling off a string of vaguely sandwich-related vocabulary words (“Charcuterie. That’s like wood with meat and cheese on it”). Sandwich can also sing and, it turns out, understand squirrel-speak. A sandwichnapping soon ensues, followed by the promised “battle”—a dance-off between the boombox-toting squirrels and Marco and Poofy. Wiseman conveys some impressive dance moves in the frenetic cartoon illustrations. The book balances randomness, like a squirrel guard sporting a Viking helmet, with realism, like Julia’s exasperation at Marco, adding to this comic’s absurd charm.

A wonderfully wacky series of unpredictable events.