MAYOR GOOD BOY GOES HOLLYWOOD

Film, friendship, and food are powerful forces for good in this community-minded follow-up to Mayor Good Boy (2021).

The fluffy white canine leader of Greenwood works hard with the assistance of helpful if sometimes silly junior aides Abby and Aaron Ableman. A film crew is in town to make a documentary about Mayor Good Boy, to be screened in a volunteer-renovated community theater. Filming is interrupted by a string of thefts around town, which motivates the community to unite and find the culprits. Abby is portrayed as bright and responsible, while Aaron is impulsive and steers most interactions toward either food or action. In fact, nearly every scene in the story includes food, so readers may want to have a snack handy. The cartoonish art brims with humor; layouts frequently use about four, five, or six neatly arranged panels per page and are easy to follow. Though the wacky premise of a dog as mayor yields plenty of jokes—Mayor Good Boy gets distracted by a hunk of cheese in his pursuit of one of the thieves—the book also contains a strong message about working together and supporting others. Backmatter includes a demonstration of comics production from script to sketch to finished page. There are also four recipes, each from a different character. In addition to the beige-skinned Ableman siblings, the town is relatively diverse.

As charming and spontaneous as the first installment.