Mo's Mustache

PreS-Gr 2--The title page states that the artwork in this book was "rendered in watercolor and ink using a mustache as a brush." Based on Clanton's zany characters, this is no doubt true. Hero Mo looks like an upside-down yellow sock with antelope horns and a starred tail. He is an unwilling trendsetter. When he dons a huge black mustache, every creature around exclaims approval, then acquires a mustache of its own. When imitation again ensues after Mo's scarf innovation, he loses his temper. The other monsters explain that it's all done out of admiration for his sense of style. Wise Mo replies, "I think you're stylish too," and organizes a fashion show where each creature struts its own creative stuff with hats, socks, a tutu, or, in invisible Imp's case, nudity. Of course, Mo is the star with his scarf, mustache, and rainbow Afro (vintage 1970). Huzzah! Laugh-aloud funny, Clanton's story also offers a way to begin discussing individuality or peer pressure.--Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Selected, NPR's Great Reads, 2013