Annie and Snowball and the Dress-Up Birthday: The First Book of Their Adventures (review)

Cousin Annie and her pet rabbit, Snowball, have just moved in next door to Henry and his big dog, Mudge. In this first book of her adventures, Annie prepares for her birthday party, which, she has decided, is going to be a dress-up affair. Told in three consecutive chapters, this easy reader introduces Annie and Snowball, discusses plans for the party, and tells of the unexpected events of the party day (when Annie said dress-up, she meant fancy clothes, but Henry and his family arrive to the celebration dressed in costumes). Annie is all girl, with a definite propensity for "ribbons and bows and lace and fancy little shoes"; the relationship between Annie and Henry is nicely developed, with the two spending time together and spoiling each other's pets (Annie gives Mudge good brushings while Henry gives Snowball good scratchings). This is well geared to the early reading audience; there is lots of opportunity to match text to illustrations, new vocabulary is effectively introduced, and the sentence structure is just varied enough to maintain appeal for newly independent readers. This pales by comparison to classic Henry and Mudge, though: Snowball is far less of a fully developed character than big, sloppy Mudge, the text lacks some of the boisterous energy readers of that series have come to expect, and frilly Annie is a specialized taste. The illustrations are cleanly composed, offering just enough color and detail without being distracting. There is no question that Annie and Henry are related; in fact, they both have the exact same facial expression in every single illustration throughout the book (save the picture where Annie is surprised by the costumed guests and her mouth forms a little o), and the compositions are thus a bit repetitive. Henry and Mudge fans will nevertheless welcome the newest kid on the block; expect many more adventures to follow.