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We know James Proimos from his eccentric, cartoonish, completely wonderful picture-book debut Joe's Wish and his second book The Loudness of Sam. In this equally odd, splendidly quirky chapter book (written in a comic-strip-frame, Captain Underpants-style), he offers six hilarious stories from "More Fun than a Bag of Marshmallows" to "The Pirates Meet the Runny Nose." It all starts when Momm... More

We know James Proimos from his eccentric, cartoonish, completely wonderful picture-book debut Joe's Wish and his second book The Loudness of Sam. In this equally odd, splendidly quirky chapter book (written in a comic-strip-frame, Captain Underpants-style), he offers six hilarious stories from "More Fun than a Bag of Marshmallows" to "The Pirates Meet the Runny Nose." It all starts when Momma Mutton opens her front door and finds that a baby has been left on her front step--a baby sheep. "But Momma's weak eyes and warm heart kept her from even noticing." She names the baby Johnny Mutton and raises him as her own son. In time, people begin to recognize that there is something odd about Johnny, but no one ever realizes that he is a sheep. The ensuing tales track his adventures in school, such as when he gives Mr. Slopdish the teacher a bag of marshmallows instead of apples (a big hit!) and when he dresses up a basketball like a squirrel and hides it in a tree so he doesn't have to catch 100 passes from his hoops-obsessed mother anymore. This may all sound silly to you, but helpless giggling by 8-year-olds is virtually guaranteed. Proimos has a knack for creating heart-melting stories in such an offbeat, hip, silly way you can't quite believe you're so moved. We tip our hats to him once again and sheepishly look forward to the continued adventures of Johnny Mutton. (Ages 5 to 9) --Karin Snelson

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