Mitford at the Hollywood Zoo

December 1, 2016
Fashion's favorite giraffe comes to the rescue again.Fashion illustrator Robertson presents another wild adventure for his bespectacled giraffe protagonist, Mitford, in this follow-up to Mitford at the Fashion Zoo (2015, with Kimberly Gieske). Here, lovable Mitford, "the tallest fashion assistant ever," is enlisted by Panda Summers, now editor-in-chief at Cover magazine (and clearly drawn to resemble Anna Wintour), to fix a "fashion disaster" emerging in LA. Where Mitford's original Fashion Week tale poked fun at fashion luminaries of New York, his cross-country trek to LA makes for open season on Hollywood starlets preparing for the Academy Zoowards. Clearly playing on Rihanna, "celebrity singer" Rhinoana, a curvy rhino clad in a "one-of-a-kind haute couture cotton-candy dress," experiences a massive wardrobe malfunction when about to be photographed by the golden-furred Annie Labovitz. Mitford's quick thinking saves the day, allowing Robertson to do what he does best: illustrate hugely imaginative garments--in this case, a vibrant, flowing dress made entirely of abstractly drawn, bowlike butterflies. Later, Mitford has occasion to assist both Meryl Sheep and Shark Whaleberg with some creative attire. Mostly using markers, black pen, and some paint, Robertson effectively sketches caricatures of well-known figures while capturing all the verve of the hilarious scenes he concocts. A light-spirited visual romp and potential inspiration for fashion-minded youth. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.