Everybody's Favorite Book

A story (of sorts) gets assembled using an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach.The unseen narrator assures readers that the book in hand is in fact everybody's favorite book: "I'll explain." There is a hero, a "space ninja cow" (an unfortunate, implied truncation of "cowboy") named Bob, gendered male despite a prominent udder. And there is a villain: "A robo-dragon pie" (another implied truncation, this time of "pirate"). But just as these two get an epic battle underway, the narrator acknowledges that some readers prefer nonviolent stories. In comes a pink-gowned, brown-skinned girl, Princess Glittersprinkles. It's clear that the narrator author has already lost control of the story to an imaginary group of opinionated young readers with diverse taste in books. Backgrounds, palettes, and typefaces change from spread to spread as other popular characters and themes are allowed a part to play: a very large hamster, poop-joke comedians, coder/spy kids (one white and three of color), some vocabulary words (including "gallimaufry"), zombies, etc. Silliness abounds as the energy level on each increasingly crowded page ramps up. Almon adopts a good-natured and blithely commercial cartoon illustration style, inserting each new character and idea in a hilariously clashing way. Young listeners may enjoy reflecting on their individual reading tastes and may find new appreciation for the simplicity of a smaller set of story elements. A cheerfully chaotic and amusing addition to the genre of metafictional picture books. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.