Tugg and Teeny

Gr 1—3—This beginning reader is divided into three chapters. Teeny the monkey and Tugg the gorilla are best friends. The first story is about Teeny's desire to create music. When she finds a hollow stick, Tugg suggests that she try blowing on the end to see what happens. She practices and practices in the jungle until she makes beautiful music. In the other stories, Teeny paints a picture but no one can guess what it is. And finally, she tries to write a poem, but it seems to fall flat on its audience. She works on it, tweaking the words and adding another verse until she is pleased. Tugg invites all of the animals to listen while Teeny reads her creation. These stories are simple, but lack energy. The humor is subtle and hardly giggle-inspiring. The cartoon artwork is colorful but somewhat generic. Mo Willems's easy readers are written with spare texts and illustrated with simple lines but every stroke is meaningful and humor pervades every page. Lewis's effort pales in comparison.—Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME