Bunso meets a mumu

A child encounters a creature from Filipino folklore and makes a surprising new discovery in author/illustrator Valdez's picture-book debut. Bunso (whose name is a Tagalog word for a family's youngest sibling) is scared of the stories that his sister, or Ate, tells him about a creature called the Mumu, who "likes to punish kids who misbehave by sucking the fun outta everything!" Mom, Dad, and Bunso's Kuya (brother) scold him for drawing on the walls, not eating dinner, and playing Kuya's video games without permission; all say that the Mumu will get him. Bunso decides to try to defeat the Mumu; he does research and prepares equipment to confront it. But when Bunso traps the Mumu, it turns out to be an adorable ghost who wants a friend and another shot at enjoying life. Valdez draws on Filipino folklore he learned from his own family to create a fun, mischievous tale for young readers. He works Tagalog terms into the text seamlessly, and Bunso's narration reads in an authentically childlike voice. Valdez's comic-style drawings are reminiscent of Cartoon Network programs but also have the sensibility of Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes," particularly in its depiction of the instant friendship between Bunso and misunderstood Mumu. Children struggling with fears of monsters under the bed may be comforted by Mumu's adorableness. A fantastic entry into the kid-and-monster-friendship subgenre. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.