Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The Complete Adventures of Johnny Mutton by James Proimos –ADVISABLE

Proimos, James The Complete Adventures of Johnny Mutton 160 pgs, HMH Books for Young Readers, 2014. $12.99 Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G Violence: G GRAPHIC NOVEL
Johnny is a sheep that was adopted by a human mother and raised to be a human. He is very unique and has his own unique way of living life. This book is sort of comic/graphic novel style and features many little short stories about Johnny’s many adventures. My favorite was a spelling bee. Johnny is doing is great at the spelling bee, and wants to come home and practice some more, when his mom gets in the way of that he snaps at her. The next day during the spelling bee when he is asked to spell Love, he uses the opportunity to apologize to his mom and spells Momma. My second favorite is when he gets some long green socks, and is so excited. He puts them on, along with a giant nose, to create a snotty nose costume for Halloween. When the other students make fun of him, he doesn’t mind, especially when a classmate comes to school as a giant box of tissues, sealing their friendship.
I really really like this book. Everytime I thought a story was going south for me, like when Johnny is scared of elderly people, it turns into a wonderful and fun life lesson. I thought the book was smart and funny with a very unique art style. I think this is a perfect read for reluctant readers and 2-3 graders. The cover is bright and fun, I am sure this will be a hit.

EL(K-3) –ADVISABLE  Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

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