Babymouse: Beach Babe (review)

After conquering school in Babymouse: Queen of the World (BCCB 12/05) and bullies in Babymouse: Our Hero (BCCB 12/05), the ebullient Babymouse is now ready for summer in this third graphic novel in the series. Visions of last summer's horrifying camping vacation still plague her memory; luckily for Babymouse, this year the family is heading to the beach. Babymouse's grandiose dreams for vacation are tarnished a bit by an unexpected inability to surf, the unrelenting crowds at the beach, and her annoying little brother's attempts to follow her everywhere. Squeak's adoration of his big sister, as he chants her name with glee and pleads hopefully every morning to be included, is hard to resist: he is an endearing little brother—unless, of course, you are his big sister, and your schemes have no room for a slower, younger, less creative sibling. After a few lonely days, however, Babymouse finally sees the light and finds the ideal playmate, right under her nose. Series fans will be pleased that many elements, such as the snarky interplay between the omniscient narrator and feisty Babymouse, are just as prevalent in this new volume. In addition, the imaginative, pink-hued scenes indicating Babymouse's well-developed fantasy life add splashes of color to the black-and-white panels and demonstrate that Babymouse's penchant for the absurd and fantastic hasn't gone away. Even with her occasionally selfish or inconsiderate moments, Babymouse is an almost absurdly likeable heroine, and the vacation focus comes just in time to make this graphic novel the perfect beach read.