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Reviewed by:
  • I'm Not Millie by Mark Pett
  • Natalie Berglind
Pett, Mark I'm Not Millie; written and illus. by Mark Pett. Knopf,
2019 [38p]
Library ed. ISBN 978-1-101-93794-5 $20.99
Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-101-93793-8 $17.99
E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-101-93795-2 $10.99
Reviewed from galleys R 4-6 yrs

A sourceless speech bubble chastises Millie at dinner for being loud and disruptive, but a slew of animals respond in Millie's place: "Millie, stop playing with your green beans," says the voice, and "I'm not Millie," says a bird holding a worm. "Millie, you're making a mess with that corn," the voice says, and a beaver holding a log sits at the table instead. Astute viewers, aided by wall photos featuring the real Millie, will catch on to the fact that Millie is pretending to be those animals to get out of trouble. Finally the voice tricks Millie into revealing herself: "If you happen to see Millie, tell her I have some bubble-gum ice cream for her," and human Mil-lie pops out to get her treat. Pett's mottled watercolors give interesting texture to the realistically painted animals, who stand in comic contrast to Millie's revealed cartoonish form. The younger end of the audience may need a little prompting to understand the joke, but the snappy dialogue, comic evasion, and animal antics will amuse kids. The speech-bubble-only text could make for an opportunity to trade off reading aloud between reader and viewer, or adults could just enjoy a shared read with their own little animals.

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