Although reliable authors, who turn out the same material so you always know what you're getting, are nice in their way, there's definitely something to be said for a clever creator who can surprise and delight with their variety of art and story.
Harrison first caught my eye with the sweet and simple My Friend Maggie, showing a beaver learning to stick with her friends and stand up to bullying when her friend Maggie, an elephant, is teased for being big. The silly Bear is awake! expanded on Harrison's humorous side and was a fun read. Now she combines humor and storytelling with the meta-narrative Poopsie gets lost.
Poopsie, an adorably fluffy white kitten with a giant pink bow, sleeps peacefully in her ornate home. The narrator, however, finds this boring and directly addressing Poopsie, questions, "are you a snoozy house cat or are you a daring adventurer?' Following the narrator's directors, Poopsie ventures outside and into the handy jungle. Throughout, she maintains a completely blank, innocent, even stupid expression as calamity edges closer and closer. Finally, drenched and irate, a ratty-looking Poopsie reties her pink bow around her head in the style of a hachimaki and sets off on the journey home, defeating the perils along the way. Despite the grumblings of the narrator, she is thrilled to return home to her snug bed, but the narrator just doesn't know when to stop talking and a grouchy-looking Poopsie firmly closes the book on her tormentor.
Harrison's understated illustrations are the epitome of tongue-in-cheek humor. Exquisitely detailed, they engender constant double-takes as you follow Poopsie's change from oblivious to determined and the startled responses of the various animals she meets.
Verdict: I can't wait to read this to my 1st grade classes and to my colleagues, we all need a good laugh! Strongly recommendedISBN: 9780593324172; Published 2022 by Dial; Borrowed from another library in my consortium
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