Double Trouble in Walla Walla

September 1, 1997
In this breathlessly verbose tale, a rash of compound nonsense words infects an elementary school. Student Lulu exhibits the first symptom when she complains, "My homework is all higgledy-piggledy. Last night it was in tip-top shape, but now it's a big mish-mash." Her teacher scolds, "Lulu, stop that flip-flop chitter-chatter or you'll be in double trouble!" and drags her off to the principal's office. The principal hasn't a clue ("holy-moly!"), and the nurse fears an epidemic ("If we're not very, very hush-hush about this, there could be a mongo-mongo brain-drain and everybody in Walla Walla will be talking like a herky-jerky ding-a-ling!"). Clements breaks the verbal fever with a brainstorm of rhythmic silliness, from "Hee-haw, tweet-tweet, chirp-chirp, cheep-cheep" to "boogie-woogie bow-wow, super-duper pooper-scooper!" As the tension escalates, Murdocca's (The Monsters' Test) pictures grow more cacophonous. Text tilts sideways and upside-down as the caricaturish people ricochet around the nurse's office; multicolored words, variably sized typefaces and voice bubbles crowd the air. At last, calm is restored--or is it? The teacher bids farewell on the final page saying, "Ta-ta, Lulu." Children with a fondness for wordplay may delight in this dizzying romp, but others may find the rhyme and onomatopoeia a disappointing substitute for plot. Ages 5-8.