Review by Booklist Review
The timorous squirrel last met in Edmond, the Moonlit Party (2015) faces a new challenge when he spots a strange creature on the creek's opposite bank: in the pictures, it resembles a fuzzy red haystack kitted out with small googly eyes. Terrified, Edmond and his costume-loving friend George Owl both race home Edmond to make and post a hostile warning sign, and George to sleep on his fear, then next morning don a scary disguise, and return to the bank. Eventually, Edmond joins George and timidly offers the Thing, which hasn't moved in the meantime, a cookie. Having thought about it, Edmond lays the wooden sign face down as a bridge so that the three can sit companionably together until the sun sets. Boutavant places his more-or-less anthropomorphic cast in an autumnal woodsy setting. How valuable to young children: a story that demonstrates how new arrivals who look different and don't speak the language might turn out to be friends rather than menaces to be met with hostility.--Peters, John Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Is it a new species? Is it a variety of over-fluffed flamingo? In this follow-up to Edmond: The Moonlit Party (2015), a stranger-an electric pink "Thing"-appears suddenly on the other side of the river from Edmond the squirrel and George Owl's forest home. Edmond and George don't know what this smiling, skrawk-ing Thing is, but they determine that it is dangerous. In their efforts to be brave, Edmond makes signs warning others to stay away from the Thing, and George decides to disguise himself in order to get a better look at their unfamiliar visitor. As a result, George succeeds in unintentionally scaring most of his neighbors in his masquerade attempt, recognizing quickly that, "'It must not be easy being the Thing.'" Themes of kindness, acceptance, and friendship permeate the resolution of this charming story. Boutavant's colorful, detailed digital illustrations have a retro aesthetic that add a magical element and playfulness to this woodland narrative. -VERDICT Reminiscent of Yuval Zommer's The Big Blue Thing on the Hill, this tale is one that speaks to overcoming the fear of new friendships and welcoming new neighbors. Recommended for purchase.-Brianne Colombo, Fairfield Free Public Library, NJ © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The arrival of a stranger"the Thing"roils the placid waters of Edmond the Squirrel and George Owl's day.This kid-sized narrative touches on Ryszard Kapuscynski's notion of "the Other." Edmond the Squirrel and his friend George Owl are down by the stream gathering feathers, moss, twigs, and pine cones. The still air is broken by a strange sound: "SKRAWK." They look up and see awell, a Thing: a small haystack of pink fur. Doesn't matter that the Thing looks like a plush toy, it gives Edmond and George the collywobbles ("This is clearly a very dangerous Thing," hoots George), and they beat a retreat. Back at Edmond's, they gorge on green cookies to muster their bravery, which brings out the worst in Edmond. He paints a sign of the Thing's image with a big X through it and plants it streamside. Desbordes does not soften the unfortunate turns of xenophobia. George wakes the next day still abuzz with the bravery of the green cookies and decides to see if the Thing is still there, but not before disguising himself in a cloak of moss, a chanterelle for a nose, and white pine ear tuffs. He scares the bejesus out of his friends, including Edmondbut not, critically, the Thing. And what sparks friendship? A cookie, the universal language. We were all strangers, once, so howdy, stranger. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
