Crafty Cat and the crafty camp crisis

Gr 1-4-Birdie has a secret: whenever she gets in a fix, her imaginary alter ego, Crafty Cat, swoops in and crafts her way out of any and all difficulties. In this second installment in the series, Birdie's second grade classroom has been transformed into a Monster Craft Camp. Together with her supersize pencil case of craftiness and her best friend Evan, she knows she'll have a great time-that is, until class bully Anya shows up and everything goes wrong. This is a sweet, imaginative tale with plenty of heart. The characters are quirky and amusing but relatable, and most kids will enjoy seeing Birdie cope with the familiar ups and downs of school life. The endearingly childlike cartoon illustrations will appeal to readers, and as in the first title, the panels portraying the heroine's flights of fancy have scalloped edges. Flowers and clouds continue to come to life around Birdie to encourage her and move the story line forward, and there is more color overall: a welcome choice. Directions for seven of the crafts depicted in the book are included. VERDICT Another enticing addition to younger graphic novel collections, and a great choice for fledgling crafters and fans of the first volume and/or author.--Kelley Gile, Cheshire Public Library, CT © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this follow-up to The Amazing Crafty Cat, Birdie is surprised to not love everything about craft camp, thanks to conflicts with best friend Evan and nemesis Anya. But her alter ego, Crafty Cat, can solve any "craft-mergency." Mock-serious narration and simple drawings highlight Birdie's earnestness; shifts in color palettes and panel borders help differentiate between Birdie and Crafty Cat. Craft instructions are appended. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.