Dude! by Aaron Reynolds (review)

A beaver and a platypus grab their surfboards and, ignoring the warning sign at water's edge, head straight into the ocean to catch waves with a joyful shout, "Duuude!" There are no waves, but there is a shark, and though they furiously paddle toward shore ("DUUUUUDE!"), they can't outswim the shark, who looms up behind them with a tear in its eye. Realizing it's better to make friends than enemies with the shark, the beaver paddles back for an ice cream cone, the platypus procures an extra board, their new saw-toothed buddy emerges in a pair of board shorts, and the waves roll in. Looks like a great day ahead until they wipe out on the rocks behind the unheeded warning sign. Dude! indeed. Despite the shattered boards, they can salvage their friendship and fun by surfing on the shark's back, scaring everyone off the beach, and sharing multi-scoop cones and a brilliant sunset. The story itself is slight but charming, and the true pleasure, of course, will lie in audience participation—supplying the perfectly nuanced "Dude" at just the right moment. Santat's cast is fabulously expressive, and even without broad hints from the speech bubbles' fonts, sizes, and colors, kids will have no problem keying audio to visuals. Flouting every cautionary lesson in beach safety is a whole lot of fun. EB