Max the Brave (Max the Brave #1)

PreS-Gr 2--Max is cute and sweet-looking. So cute and sweet, as a matter of fact, that people sometimes dress him up with pink bows. But Max does not like pink bows. He is a fearless, black kitten. A very brave black kitten, and one who chases mice, he'll have you know. He just needs to find out what a mouse actually looks like. So, Max is on the hunt. Is there a mouse in that can? No, but a fly is. Fly says he saw Mouse scurry by just moments ago. Next Max tries the fish bowl. "Excuse me, are you Mouse?" asks Max. No, says Fish, but he just saw Mouse dash outside. Max checks with the birds in the trees, the neighborhood pink elephant, and Rabbit. They all insist that Mouse just went that-a-way. Max finally does find a creature who looks suspiciously like a mouse, but he claims to be a MONSTER and points him in the direction of said mouse, who is sleeping nearby. Of course, the big, green, homely thing IS a monster and is much bigger than Max. One gulp is all it takes, and Max is in the dark pit of Monster's stomach. Fortunately, the monster sneezes and Max flies out. Maybe "chasing mice is not all it's cracked up to be," he says. He doesn't have to be Max the Brave all the time, except when chasing small monsters with big ears and long tails that just happen to look suspiciously like mice. Full of playful humor, this book's cartoonlike illustrations are created digitally with some crayon. The individual pages are bright yellow, orange, green, and salmon. A nice layout, enhanced by the humorous text, character expressions, and a not-scary monster to boot. VERDICT Highly recommended.--Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

Vere (Bedtime for Monsters) introduces a small but brave black kitten who is ready to chase some mice. The problem? "Max the Brave just needs to find out what a mouse looks like." So begins a long chain of interactions with a fly, fish, flock of birds, and other animals, all of whom explain that they are not the mouse Max is looking for and send him on his way. When Max does meet a mouse, the rodent proves to be a quick thinker: "Who me?" he says. "I'm Monster!... But I did just see Mouse asleep over there." After an unpleasant run-in with a giant green creature that resembles a mutant pickle, Max decides that chasing monsters may be preferable to chasing mice. Vere sets the action against empty, construction-paper-colored backdrops that keep a tight focus on Max and the animals he meets. Both the punchy text and illustrations command attention, and plenty of readers will get a kick out of feeling superior to Max, whose bravery is surpassed only by his gullibility and naivete. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)