Amazon.com Review
We know James Proimos from his eccentric, cartoonish, completely wonderful picture-book debut
Joe's Wish and his second book
The Loudness of Sam. In this equally odd, splendidly quirky chapter book (written in a comic-strip-frame, Captain Underpants-style), he offers six hilarious stories from "More Fun than a Bag of Marshmallows" to "The Pirates Meet the Runny Nose." It all starts when Momma Mutton opens her front door and finds that a baby has been left on her front step--a baby sheep. "But Momma's weak eyes and warm heart kept her from even noticing." She names the baby Johnny Mutton and raises him as her own son. In time, people begin to recognize that there is something odd about Johnny, but no one ever realizes that he is a sheep. The ensuing tales track his adventures in school, such as when he gives Mr. Slopdish the teacher a bag of marshmallows instead of apples (a big hit!) and when he dresses up a basketball like a squirrel and hides it in a tree so he doesn't have to catch 100 passes from his hoops-obsessed mother anymore. This may all sound silly to you, but helpless giggling by 8-year-olds is virtually guaranteed. Proimos has a knack for creating heart-melting stories in such an offbeat, hip, silly way you can't quite believe you're so moved. We tip our hats to him once again and sheepishly look forward to the continued adventures of Johnny Mutton. (Ages 5 to 9)
--Karin Snelson
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
A quintet of brief tales, scrawled comic-book panels and jokey narration introduce Johnny Mutton, a young sheep raised as a regular boy. Johnny is discovered on the doorstep by Momma Mutton, an effusively affectionate Olive Oyl lookalike: "Momma did such a good job bringing up Johnny that although folks noticed he was different, no one noticed he was a sheep." Still, the woolly white fellow possesses an odd sense of humor that makes him the center of attention. On the first day of school, when all the kids bring red apples for the teacher, Johnny brings "Extra Poofy" marshmallows; at this, the teacher takes out his dentures and claims to prefer soft food ("But Johnny didn't hear that because he was in the closet, hiding from those creepy fake teeth"). A Halloween tale follows a similar, silly vein: Johnny's classmates dress as witches and pirates, but the sheep dresses as a "runny nose" and befriends a girl who comes as a box of tissues. Proimos (Joe's Wish) balances third-person commentary and snappy voice-bubble dialogue. His active ink lines and undiluted colors lend wild energy to the illustrations. Johnny emerges as a model "child" both a loving son and an extroverted classroom cutup. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
