Funny Kid for President

Kids who get a kick out of scatological humor and doomed-to-backfire scenarios will find plenty of both in this heavily illustrated series opener from Stanton (This Is a Ball). At its center is a deluded but quick-witted boy named Max and his sidekick, Hugo. The opening line, “Someone has pooped in the storeroom,” sets the stage; Mr. Armstrong, a teacher who has it in for Max, blames the mess on him (and forces him to clean it up), despite Max’s claims of innocence. When the no-nonsense new principal, Mrs. Sniggles, decides that a class president is the solution to Mr. Armstrong’s disorderly classroom, Max vows to win the election, hoping to best his teacher and become the most popular kid in his class “in one simple move.” Outlined in thick strokes of black, Stanton’s chunky cartoons are integrated throughout the story, with digital drop shadows adding to the paper-doll quality of his flattened characters. It’s a love-it-or-hate-it type of story, one that should hit the spot for fans of projectile vomit gags and the like. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)