Book Review: Cute and Cuter by Michael Townsend

Book: Cute and Cuter
Author: Michael Townsend
Illustrator: Michael Townsend
Published: 2013
Source: Local Library

A little girl gets a puppy for her birthday (promptly named Sir Yips-a-lot). Cuteness abounds. All is adorability and rainbows, until the next birthday, when she gets The World’s Cutest Kitty, and Sir Yips-a-lot feels replaced. He comes up with a cunning plan to get Lady Meow-Meow out of the picture and himself back on top. But it doesn’t work out quite the way he’d pictured.

For a book that purports to overflow with cuteness, this book has some surprising teeth. (Literally; in one spread, Sir Yips-a-Lot imagines Lady Meow-Meow eaten by a large, befanged dog and meowing from within its stomach.) Anybody who’s ever been supplanted by a new baby or a new friend will recognize Sir Yips-a-Lot’s dilemma, and knows the pitfalls of his plan.

Reading Roundup: February 2015

By the Numbers
Picture Books: 33
Early Readers: 4

Sources
Library: 36

Standouts
Writing: Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover by Cece Bell
For kids struggling to get along with all sorts of different people for the first time in their lives, this story is instantly recognizable. I especially loved (is that the word?) Rabbit's dramatic meltdown.
Illustration: Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd
This wordless book explores the title concept with flaps that take you from inside to outside and back again.
Overall: H.O.R.S.E. a game of basketball and imagination by Christopher Myers
Anybody who's ever watched a couple of kids one-upping each other will laugh with recognition.

Because I Want To Awards
Worst Kid Ever: The Santa Trap by Jonathan Emmett, illustrated by Poly Bernatene
I laughed so hard at this unrepentantly awful child, setting traps for Santa Claus and completely failing to learn any flavor of lesson. Nice.
Struck a Chord: Love Monster by Rachel Bright (link leads to my review)
Oh, Love Monster. I know your pain.