MacDonald's retro-1940s Another Perfect Day
introduced a blond, square-jawed action figure in a blue business suit and his boy alter ego, both named Jack. Now Jack the boy and Jack the toy have a little sister, and this full-throttle sequel shows the miniature superhero coping with the baby's relentless energy. Initially, superhero Jack gitchy-goos the diapered infant, who has a Kewpie-doll body and a darling brunette bob. "Someone to play with! That's
what's been missing all along!" he crows, with a zealous ad-man's wink that mocks parental sales pitches. "But she grew... and grew!
" and Jack's gleaming grin freezes into a grimace. The baby wobbles like Godzilla while learning to walk, and she squashes Jack under a dimpled hand ("Tag!
" appears in velvet-red letters, painful shooting stars and explosive bursts of dust). "She liked to share her lunch," spattering Jack with globs of spinach-green slime, and she dresses the action hero in a frilly pink apron. Fawning adults ("Awwwww! That's adorable!") disregard her resemblance to King Kong, and long-suffering siblings will take the Jacks' side. MacDonald's nostalgic brick cityscapes, creative typefaces and oversaturated mustard golds, peachy pinks and midnight blues are instantly recognizable in this humorous sequel. He amplifies the irony by combining deadpan words and exaggerated pictures of the disproportionate baby and hero, yet he conveys amazement over abject horror: Jack loves his sister, "but the thing he loved most
... was watching her sleep! Whew!
" Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
