Slacks, Camera, Action!

Gr 2–4—The high-energy feline is back in eight brief chapters, and this time he is focused on entering a film contest that promises to pay the winner $1,000. Despite his tunnel vision for all things film, he must first pitch in during Chore Day and help his little sister with her tea party. In typical schemer fashion, Mr. Pants enlists his siblings' help in distracting their mom in a humorous game to make her utter a specific frustrated response ("Honestly, kids.") in order to be assigned the least time-consuming chore, allowing him maximum movie prep time. However, the plan it backfires on him. In "Tea Time Drama," Mr. Pants tries to con his sister's friends into starring in his movie, but he ends up ruining the fun by making all kinds of unwelcome suggestions. Just when he thinks he's run out of time to make a movie, he realizes he can edit all of the events of the past few days together, but will it be enough to take home the big prize? The story is told through dialogue balloons and illustration panels. The vibrant full-color artwork reflects the comical nature of the characters and the plot and uses thick black marker outlines to define the characters, in a style reminiscent of newspaper Sunday comics. Mr. Pants is depicted with one eye that is slightly larger than the other, which is in line with the zany cartoon animation aimed at children. The story line is complex enough to keep readers guessing, and the ending will provoke with big laughs. The characters act more like kids than felines and benefit from having a mother who gets in on some of the action with humorous results. A great choice for readers who are graduating from Mo Willems's early readers and just discovering Doreen Cronin's easy-reader chapter books.—Samantha Lumetta, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH