Nathan Lane

Naughty Mabel, the misbehaving French bulldog whose story began in her first eponymous picture-book, returns in this second madcap adventure, this time confronting monsters. Or is she? Mabel's vision problems cause any number of misunderstandings, whether at home or at her best friends' Smarty-Cat and Scaredy-Cat's house, where she is invited to a sleepover. Fortunately, after being in the (figurative) doghouse for her shenanigans, her parents figure out that what she needs is glasses, rather than punishment...

Like its predecessor, Naughty Mabel Sees It All pairs an engaging, humorous tale from co-authors Nathan Hale and Devlin Elliott with colorful, cartoon-style artwork from illustrator Dan Krall. Unlike its predecessor, I didn't find the story here so obnoxious - in the first book, I disliked the idea that negative behavior doesn't bring consequences - and I appreciated the idea, implicit in the story, that sometimes an underlying problem like poor vision can lead to seemingly unrelated behavioral issues. I'm glad I gave this second Mabel adventure a try, after being underwhelmed by the first, as I do think it is an improvement. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books about naught animals, or for children's stories about needing glasses.… (mehr)

A poorly-behaved French Bulldog who lives a life of privilege in the Hamptons narrates the story of her various (mis)adventures in this picture-book from celebrated actor Nathan Hale and producer Devlin Elliott. Mabel is the much-loved canine companion of her human parents, who pretty much let her do anything she likes, patiently picking up after her messes. Their one effort at discipline - excluding her from a swanky party they throw one evening - ends poorly, as Mabel emerges and causes catastrophe, destroying the house and driving all the guests away. Fortunately, Mabel's parents love her, no matter what...

I'm always a little bit wary of celebrity-authored picture-books, as they so frequently prove to be mediocre, a testament to the fact that what is driving their publication isn't the quality of the story (or, often times, the writing) but the fame of the author. That said, I actually found Naughty Mabel fairly engaging, in terms of story-telling and structure. I also thought that illustrator Dan Krall's artwork matched the zany, madcap humor of Mabel's doings. Unfortunately, although I didn't think this one was terrible, as a picture-book, I'm not terribly fond of the "naughty animal/child who always gets away with it" theme that seems so popular these days, especially when there don't seem to be any consequences at all, for the bad behavior depicted. Animals (and children) can be quite naughty, but it's poor ethical thinking (whether in fiction or real life) that maintains that there won't be any negative results. Compare Mabel's story to Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty books, where the eponymous feline behaves very badly indeed, and, despite never really being reformed, does suffer consequences as a result. Bruel's stories seem both more realistic, and more honest, than that penned by Lane and Elliott. I suppose this one will find an appreciative audience with parents and children who enjoy stories about misbehaving, but I think there are better options out there, that also fit that bill.… (mehr)