Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman (review)

Forget climate change; in this picture book the world ends due to a very hungry llama and a few too many sweets. After Llama indulges in piles of cake, his dancing pants don't fit; undeterred, he still busts some seriously groovy moves and, in the process, busts his pants, thereby quite literally wrenching the universe apart and creating a black hole (talk about being dangerous on the dance floor). He's distracted by a delicious sandwich before he can warn the world that the end is nigh, and soon top hats are flying, teacups are soaring, and well-dressed turtles are tumbling through the air. The world and everything in it, including Llama, are sucked up into the black hole . . . and then spit out on the other side of the hole, fully intact: "The universe tumbled out exactly as it had been before. Even Llama." The goofy premise itself will elicit giggles, but it's innocently wide-eyed Llama who really sells the silliness of the story as he prances through the pages fully focused on himself and clueless to the catastrophe he has caused. The energetic, candy-colored digital illustrations become appropriately cluttered as doomsday approaches, with pizza and houseplants and one put-out pig sucked up into cyclonic swirls, while simple, solid backgrounds give way to a full spread of the universe's demise and then, of course, total blackout. The return of Llama, his joyful animal pals, and a sunny blue sky will bring anxious viewers comfort after chaos: if the worst has happened, and Llama still manages to come out strutting around and eyeing some pie, maybe it's time to forget the worries and enjoy a few good belly laughs.