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Reviewed by:
  • My Snake Blake
  • Deborah Stevenson
Siegel, Randy . My Snake Blake; illus. by Serge Bloch. Porter/Roaring Brook, 2012. [32p]. ISBN 978-1-59643-584-1 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 2-3.

Lucky kid! For an early birthday present, our narrator's father (much to his mother's dismay) gives him a very long green snake. Fortunately for Mom, Blake proves to be a genteel and prodigiously talented reptile, able to coil himself into words and handy with assistance in opening doors. He and the narrator bond, with Blake helping with his homework and hissing at the kid's enemies. This is more a scenario than a story, and there are some gaps in the conception (it's not clear how, for instance, the narrator is "there for him, too" when Blake freaks out his fellow passengers on a plane). It's still an engaging concept, however, and many kids will appreciate both the absurdity and the alternative to fluffier pet stories. French artist Bloch draws with sly urbanity, his speedy sketches suggesting a slightly more linear Jules Feiffer; on most pages, the black lines are merely touched occasionally with shamrock green (for Blake himself) or bits of red against wide, airy backgrounds, adding to the slightly '60s vibe. Partner this with Daly's Prudence Gets a Pet (BCCB 9/11) for a sequence of pet stories with quirky flair.

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