Knot cannot by Tiffany Stone, illustrated by Mike Lowery

Fans of puns and silly wordplay will "knot" be disappointed by this goofy story of friendship and flexibility.

Knot, a frayed orange bit of rope with bulging eyes, admires and respects Snake. She's so talented! She can shed her skin, swallow her prey whole, slither and hiss. And Knot? What can he do? Can he do anything as good as Snake? No, he's "a frayed not." But when danger threatens Snake, Knot discovers he has a talent after all!

This silly story is full of knotty puns and illustrated with Lowery's bug-eyed cartoons. Knot sighs gloomily as he admires Snake's bendy skills, flies giggle, and the two very different characters slither across mountains, swim, and explore deserts (or try to anyways). The art is in quasi-comic style, with some panels and speech balloons and some full-page pictures.

While younger kids, especially those who cannot read yet, are unlikely to get all the humor of the wordplay, it's still a fun story about appreciating your own talents and finding how you can contribute. Bonus points for making the talented snake female!

Verdict: A light and humorous addition to your storytimes, especially for kids in lower elementary school.

ISBN: 9780735230804; Published April 2020 by Dial Books; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library; Used in our activity calendars and story videos.