Monkey & Elephant's Worst Fight Ever!

PreS-Gr 2—On a small island in the sea, Monkey is seen carrying a tray of cupcakes to Elephant's house. As the well-intentioned visitor peers through the window, he spies what appears to be a costume party in full swing. His tearful feelings of exclusion soon turn to anger, and his first act of revenge is to put Elephant's toys in the freezer. The confused pachyderm retaliates, and soon the mayhem is so violent that it causes destruction to their neighbors' property. The community hatches a plan to force the former friends to settle their differences, and all ends well when Elephant explains that he was planning a surprise wrestling match for his buddy. This slight story is presented in flat, digitally colored caricatures. Panels alternate with full bleeds to frame the large speech bubbles and busy action scenes. While children may chuckle at some of the humor (Monkey paints a smiling face on Elephant's posterior while the latter is sleeping), a few of the jokes are forced, some of the situations are illogical, and the premise is a bit contrived. For stronger stories that mix comedy and tension when characters jump to conclusions or misunderstand a situation, try Harry Allard's "The Stupids" titles (Houghton), Sue Denim's "Dumb Bunny" books (Scholastic), or Peggy Parish's "Amelia Bedelia" series (HarperCollins)—Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library