CAMPING

A practical alligator and her more excitable husband plan a camping trip in this slightly reformatted chapter taken from Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green (2002).

“We need food and water,” proposes Mrs. Green. “Like chocolate bars and marshmallows,” responds Mr. Green. “And soda pop!” Though Mr. Green’s enthusiasm flags when Mrs. Green mentions a map—“There could be dark, mysterious woods, strange, eerie sounds, spooky, glowing eyes, sharp, pointy teeth, and mosquitoes!”—he brightens again when the trek ends in their own backyard. Distinguished by a string of pearls (for her, unsurprisingly) and a necktie (for him, ditto), the otherwise identical bright green couple poses amid a clutter of comfy domestic details in Baker’s small but open-edged cartoon illustrations. Neither here nor in the likewise republished Cookies (from On the Go with Mr. and Mrs. Green, 2006) have either the art or the page design been significantly altered, but as single episodes, the stories may be less intimidating to newly independent readers than the original collections.

Engaging, sitcom-style humor based on personality differences and securely attuned to the intended audience.