Plaidypus Lost
PreSchool-Grade 1-Complete with rhyming text, engaging illustrations, and interactive questions, this oversized picture book had the potential to be a storytime favorite. Unfortunately, the inconsistent design is too busy and haphazard, and the words fail to hold a rhythm from page to page. A grandmother makes a stuffed "Plaidypus" for her granddaughter out of an old plaid shirt. The excited child promises never to lose the toy but then proceeds to leave him behind over and over. Vowing to be more careful every time he is found, she always forgets. By the end, the patched-up Plaidypus has taken quite a beating. This story does go "around and around" as the text says, and in the end, there is still no resolution. While the book has many appealing elements and does a nice job of incorporating the concept of opposites, overall, it doesn't gel, and the characters and plot struggle to garner much affection or sympathy.Julie Roach, Malden Public Library, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.