Wordy Birdy Meets Mr. Cougarpants

November 1, 2018
Wordy Birdy clearly didn't learn to keep her mouth shut from her last misadventure (Wordy Birdy, 2017), but at least this time her talking is an asset instead of a liability.Well, in the end it is. But at the start of a camping trip with her three loyal friends she is a bit tough to take. The logorrheic bird spews dialogue balloons that fill up the pages, listing rhyming words, delivering plot spoilers, and extolling her love for almost everything under the sun. Happily, Sauer once again breaks the fourth wall with these friends, having them respond snarkily to the narrator's comments in direct address to readers: "Wordy Birdy is a little chatty," explains the narrator. The squirrel responds, "A LITTLE chatty?" while the raccoon demands, "Seriously?!" Their droll expressions steal the scenes, especially when juxtaposed against Wordy Birdy's rather empty-headed look. It's the narrator who alerts the foursome to the hungry cougar's presence, though observant readers will have noticed clues. While her three friends panic, Wordy Birdy does what comes naturally: "Just so you know, Mr. Cougarpants, rabbits taste terrible...[and] I'm too adorable to eat...." Those ellipses represent a lot of words. In fact, it's so much, the cougar runs off. "All I wanted was a nice, quiet dinner."Loquacious little ones may well not see themselves, but everyone can share a laugh. (Picture book. 3-7)

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December 15, 2018
Preschool-G Wordy Birdy and her friends, Rabbit, Raccoon, and Squirrel, go on a camping trip. While they hike to their campsite, roast marshmallows, and prepare to sleep, the colorful bird keeps up a cheerful but incessant monologue that tests her companions' patience. But when the others are trying to sleep that night, Wordy Birdy notices a cougar entering their campsite. She's quiet for just a moment before informing Mr. Cougarpants, her name for the bewildered predator, that her friends taste really, really terrible, and offering him many alternate snacks. Overwhelmed by her verbal barrage, the cougar runs away. And Wordy Birdy's friends decide that they're glad to have a chatty friend after all. A sequel to Wordy Birdy (2018), this picture book offers both comedy and drama as events unfold for this memorable bird and her pals. Mottram creates expressive characters within scenes defined by fluid lines and rich colors. Interspersing the narrative text with plenty of speech balloons and occasional questions for the audience, Sauer creates a story that's fun for reading aloud to young children.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)