Uncle Blubbafink's Seriously Ridiculous Stories
"OK, so I'm Uncle Blubbafink. Hello already." Gruff introduction aside,  you'll soon find yourself glad you met this strange, suspendered,  striped-schnozzed creature with a funny-sounding name. Not only does "your old  Uncle Blub" have all sorts of seriously ridiculous stories ("millions of 'em,"  in fact), but they're all true. Would he make them up? "Of course not... I like  you too much."Before you can even catch your breath, Blub launches into four true (or at least  truly peculiar) stories, starting with how he and Abraham Sandwich used to surf  together back in '67, only to find themselves lunch-less after George Washing  Machine ("a funny little guy who looked like a washing machine with skinny  legs") chopped down all of Abraham's ham trees ("that's the kinda guy he was").  After that comes the story of a young volcano raised by squawking chickens, then  the tale of Dave the dragon whose head turned into a station wagon, and finally  the truth behind how cows completely mowed down the moon. ("Cows. They're so  weird.")"Renowned intellectual and former javelin thrower" Keith Graves certainly sets  his own style (presumably due to some sort of radioactive spider bite or  military brain-wave experiment), but fans of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith'sThe Stinky Cheese Manand  similar stories will be pleased with what they find here, both in storytelling  and illustration method. Whether it's a tiny dragon shaving-cream can or a  jubilant dance circle of goofy-walking chickens (plus one buck-toothed volcano),  you just know that Graves is onto--or at least on--something. (Ages 9 to 12)--Paul Hughes