From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3–When his blissfully out-of-touch mother announces Cousin John's upcoming visit, Ben and his cat flash back to all their previous encounters with this obnoxious relative and immediately start worrying. The lively text consists entirely of Mom's happy chatter about the fun the boys will have playing cowboys…and superheroes… and magicians, but the accompanying illustrations tell a very different story, in which Ben usually plays John's hapless victim. Just as Ben and his cat are heading for the door, planning to escape, they learn that poor John has developed a violent allergy to felines and suffers terribly if one so much as approaches him. So, with high-fives and sidesplitting laughter, they roll out the red carpet and prepare to welcome their guest with open arms and plenty of pet dander. Barbara Bottner's
Bootsie Barker Bites (Putnam, 1992) tells much the same story, but Broach's version, featuring male characters and radically different art, is by no means redundant. In Lilly's cartoon illustrations, created with pencil and digital color, the backgrounds are busier, the color scheme is harsher, and Cousin John looks like Eddie Munster gone evil. A fun choice for all collections.
–Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Elise Broach lives in Easton, Connecticut.
Nate Lilly lives in Portland, Oregon.
