Pizza for birds

Alligator Bob (Chez Bob, rev. 9/21), proprietor of his bird friends' favorite restaurant, is blindsided when an energetic young alligator rolls into town with an exciting new business: Chez Ryan "delivers pizza while doing cool bike tricks!" Bob doesn't handle the competition well and falls into a funk fueled by sad music, snack food, and self-pity. With Chez Bob's shuttered, the birds flock to enjoy the convivial atmosphere at Ryan's, while Bob follows his jealous thoughts to a dark place: the "internest." Posting under various pseudonyms ("smartbirdwhoisnotbob," "trustworthybird226"), he relieves his anxiety by slandering Ryan and pizza -- and expressing those "very bad things made Bob feel very good." Lest readers think this is an endorsement of internet troll-dom, Shea's comical illustrations turn dark and shadowy as Bob wages his online smear campaign by the light of his laptop. Skilled use of color and perspective throughout effectively conveys mood and plays up the overall silliness. Ryan is understandably furious when Bob confesses, but Bob's heartfelt apology helps Ryan forgive him. In the "sappy ending" that the two chefs agree is "gross," they team up to run a new fusion restaurant serving birdseed pizza. This satisfying second course will be a crowd pleaser. Kitty FlynnJuly/August 2024 p.115 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

An insecure alligator struggles when a rival enters the scene. Chez Bob (see what the author did there?) enjoys his life as a birdseed chef for the forest fauna until one day another alligator appears, impressing the birds with his delicious pizza and fun bike stunts. After a brief wallow at being outshined, Bob turns to the "internest," where he uses fake accounts to post lies and other trolling comments about Ryan and his pizza. Taking the online negativity at face value, Ryan prepares to leave town for an unhappy ending--"going away to art school"--while Bob considers the harm he caused before eventually coming clean to Ryan. Though Shea's takeaway lacks subtlety, so do neon-colored alligators in check-print flannel; the medium fits the message. Overall, the kinetic illustrations and humorous tone leaven what could be an aggressively didactic story into an enjoyable jumping-off point for discussions about responsible internet use and possibly the proliferation of fake news. Shea even offers an illuminating definition of lies that may resonate with young and adult readers alike: "a bunch of not-true things I made up to get what I want." Bob barely takes accountability for his actions ("I had a good reason"), and the conflict resolves with ludicrous ease, but the purpose here is less authentic character growth and more a lesson in social media etiquette. A high-energy introduction to ethical internet use. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.