Review by Booklist Review
The squirrely crew introduced in I Lost My Tooth (2018) returns here for hilarious, superhero-themed adventures. This time, a red-mask-and-underwear-clad Mystery Reader (Wink Squirrel) appears at opportune moments to sound out words and help his buddies gain confidence in their decoding skills. Later, when Zoom Squirrel claims to be the Mystery Reader, an understanding Wink provides him with his own blue-mask-and-underwear outfit because, after all, Zoom is a real reader and rather mysterious. The main story is accompanied by three reading-themed, A-corny jokes; a nonfiction section detailing early writing systems and books; and a short story in which Mo Squirrel explains his writing (and rewriting) process. Willems' cartoony characters are as goofy and appealing as ever, and, despite the theme, the book never becomes didactic. The clueless squirrels fail to uncover the mystery readers' identities, but beginning readers will certainly puzzle this out as they are enjoying comic conventions (speech bubbles, panels, varied font sizes, etc.) and frequent metafictional asides. Smart, sassy, and laugh-out-loud fun; Willems remains at the top of his game.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: It's no mystery that young readers will scamper out of the woodwork for a new Mo Squirrel . . . er, Willems book.--Kay Weisman Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2--The gang from I Lost My Tooth is back in three episodic vignettes tied together by squirrels, puns, and acorn jokes. A group of squirrels halts before a red octagonal sign because they cannot read it. A squirrel enters wearing a red mask and underpants. He is the Mystery Reader and shows the other squirrels how to sound out words. Silliness follows as the squirrels try to figure out the Mystery Reader's identity (insert a joke told by anthropomorphized acorns). In the next sketch, Wonder Squirrel wonders what the first writing looked like. This is followed by actual facts about cuneiform and hieroglyphics. And another acorn joke. In the third sketch, two squirrels want to know how they got into the book and are told the story about Mo Squirrel and how ideas become a book. The concepts are a bit more sophisticated than Willems's previous series titles and the factual material is a higher reading level than the rest of the book. Still, the mashup of stories is oddly cohesive and has the feel of an animated cartoon. VERDICT Willems's fans will enjoy this offering. After all, who can resist a squirrel in underpants?--Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The Unlimited Squirrels return for a metafictive romphooray!Carrying a copy of the book (yes, this book), one squirrel asks "Who is the MYSTERY READER?" The others respond, one after another: "Let's. Read. And. Find out!" So begins this sequel to I Lost My Tooth! (2018), a brilliant, 96-page laugh track composed of four stories and three "acorn-y" jokes. In the first story, the squirrels struggle to decode the letters of a stop sign. Thankfully, the heroic Mystery Reader arrives on the scenecomplete with mask and underpantsto help them sound out their letters: "Ssssttt / OP!" The second story includes a brief history of writing systems (and a web address for further info); the third divulges "Mo Squirrel's" own writing process. Though narratively all over the place (in a good way), this takes the self-referential torch from We Are in a Book! (2010) and highlights the next step up in reading development. Willems' high-interest presentation and formula create a familiar, entertaining format that combines fact, fiction, and plenty of squirrels. The text complexity is similar to that found in the Elephant and Piggie books, but there are more color-coded dialogue bubbles per page. Willems also employs "emote-acorns" to highlight characters' emotions. Readers may never find out who the Mystery Reader is, but, in the process of investigating, they just might sound out their own reading superpowers!Delightfully on-brand. Kids will book it to the shelves for this one. (Early reader. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
