PLAIDYPUS LOST
by Janet Stevens & Susan Stevens Crummel & illustrated by Janet Stevens
Nicely drawn pencil, watercolor, and digital collage illustrations are lost in these aggressive, over-designed pages about a girl’s habit of losing and finding her favorite toy repeatedly: “Plaidypus lost. Plaidypus found. This story goes around and around.” Plaidypus is an adored stuffed animal made from Grandpa’s old plaid shirt. Every time the girl re-finds Plaidypus, she apologizes profusely and promises never to lose him again. On the last page, she’s promising this again, but without any indication that the pattern is broken. Is this welcome comfort or false hope for readers who lose toys? Many of the images are unnecessarily big and Plaidypus changes scale for no apparent reason. The font changes size and color too often and the text dips in and out of rhyme and rhythm, making it an awkward read-aloud. Not a bad idea, but busy and bumpy. (Picture book. 3-6)