Josh Crute

Animals' belongings (and sometimes body parts) have been stolen and replaced with fakes (Deer's left antler has become a badminton racket; Catfish's spectacles have been replaced with a pair of donuts). They take their problem to the mayor, who turns to famous Belgian detective Pierre Moufette (a skunk), whose thinking cap has been replaced with a piece of pie ("I've been skunked!"). It turns out a thief has "outfoxed" them all - but the helpful armadillo who has been holding up signs defining the excellent vocabulary has beat the fox at its own game!

See also: This Is Not That Kind of Book, Life on Mars (Agee), P is for Pteradactyl, Z is for Moose… (mehr)

Oliver was a giant sequoia, living life large in the forest. But despite his many amazing attributes, he always came second to Sherman, the largest living thing on Earth. When his dietary and exercise regime, intended to make him grow even bigger, fails to make him larger than Sherman, he at first despairs. Then he notices the other trees around him, and comes to the realization that he is part of something bigger even than Sherman - the Sequoia National Forest...

A debut from both author Josh Crute and illustrator John Taesoo Kim, Oliver: The Second Largest Living Thing on Earth pairs an engaging narrative that is equal parts ecological tale and emotional exploration with cute, cartoon-style artwork. I liked the conclusion here, in which the conflict about who is the biggest is resolved by recourse to the idea that the totality - the entire forest - is always bigger than any one part. I also appreciated the inclusion of the final page, which gives more information about sequoias, and other second-largest things on Earth. Recommended to young tree-lovers, and to any child that has wished he were bigger.… (mehr)