Hey, Who Made This Mess?

Something is making mischief at the zoo, leaving a trail of purple paw prints in its wake. Could it be whomever slept in Elephant’s straw, drank Lion’s milk, pooped in Ostrich’s sandbox, and scratched on Giraffe’s favorite tree? As the victims come forward and express their growing fears to the zookeeper, the list of adjectives describing the possible perpetrator grows as well. Their anxious cumulative conclusion (“It was definitely a monster. A very sleepy, very thirsty, very stinky, very SCRATCHY monster”) is accompanied by a drawing of a somnambulistic purple creature with four arms, a green tongue, and a yellow horn who seems capable of any number of crimes. Finally the culprit is revealed: a cute kitten who walked through some purple paint—though goldfish Goldie (“But, guys, it tried to eat me!”) is unconvinced that the kitty’s intentions are wholly benign. App creator Gallanosa makes a confident picture book debut, with solid comic timing and a skillful wielding of tried-and-true storytelling techniques. In his broad, expressive mixed-media cartooning, astute readers—or those coming back for seconds—will notice that the kitty was hiding in plain sight all along. Ages 3–5. [em](June) [/em]