Tony Baloney: Buddy Trouble by Pam Muñoz Ryan (review)

When siblings Tony and Big Sister Baloney (of Tony Baloney: School Rules, BCCB 9/13) argue and make a mess one day, their parents refuse to take them to their school’s much anticipated “Books and Buddies” night, in which students get to bring a stuffed buddy and teachers read stories by flashlight. Big Sister, blaming Tony, sneaks Dandelion (Tony’s beloved stuffed ostrich) into their baby siblings’ diaper bag and Dandelion gets an unfortunate “princess makeover” (the toy is covered in pink and glitter) at the babies’ playgroup. After witnessing Tony’s dismay at Dandelion’s disappearance and transformation, a repentant Big Sister helps Tony get him cleaned up. Pleased at their children’s reconciliation, Tony’s parents agree to take the kids to Books and Buddies after all, where a good time is had by all. The sibling interactions and Tony’s dialogues with his toys (printed in word bubbles in a different font than the text and with alternating colors for the different speakers) are both amusing and credible. The easy-reader format and short sentences make this accessible to primary-grade readers, but it would be equally successful as a readaloud to a group. Primary colors plus green feature heavily in Fotheringham’s digital art, and the macaroni penguin characters, with their orange fringe and yellow eyebrow tufts, are remarkably expressive figures. This is shaping up to be a solid little series with lots of kid appeal.