Two Bushy Badgers

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

To the disgust of their fellow badgers, Arthur and Ollie ``made a promise to be friends-/ Buddies, pals, blood brothers-/ Devoted to the end.'' But on one uncomfortably hot day, Arthur insults the dinner Ollie has prepared, and Ollie gripes about Arthur's smelly toes. They stubbornly avoid speaking until, dining separately at the Foot Stomp Cafe, they wrangle over the last remaining serving of ``Mint Mackerel Surprise.'' It is ironic that Brewster, illustrator of the Fannie Farmer Junior Cookbook, serves up pictures every bit as unappetizing as the thought of Mint Mackerel Surprise. Spreads offer unsettling combinations of pale blues, lavenders and hot oranges; preserved green frogs, bubblegum-pink octopus and yellow ice cream comprise the badgers' meals. Borders and decorative touches are Brewster's forte, and the focal characters are decidedly less accomplished-the badgers have plump human feet and brown fur, and they clash drastically with the other creatures, particularly a group of Easter egg-hued forest animals. Unaccountably bizarre. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

Children's Literature - Kathleen Karr

Short Arthur and tall Ollie are the best of badger friends till one sticky, hot day both lose their tempers and say things they shouldn't say. Tempers flair and friendship flees in this perky, clever, rhymed story.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-In the course of this rhyming story, two badger friends set up a household based on equity and harmony. But, true to their natures, they eventually turn on one another, motivated by the slimmest of circumstances- it's too hot to be pleasant, and one has spent the day in a hot kitchen, cooking for the other. They enter a silent, cold war, until they both end up at a restaurant, vying for the last portion of the special. They decide it's not worth fighting about, and become friends once more. If this tale sounds lame, the illustrations do nothing to help pull it together. In a wild, bebop, rock-and-roll motif out of the '50s, done in a Pepto Bismol pink and a ubiquitous aqua, with page formats that vary unpredictably, the story as well as the pictures spin out of control, with little motivation or unity. The improbability of the story is not made more believable by a salmon-colored carhop on roller blades.-Ruth K. MacDonald, Bay Path College, Longmeadow, MA

Linda Ward-Callaghan

Arthur and Ollie are best friends, not your average fearsome badgers. They practice a polite, refined lifestyle and share dinner every night until familiarity breeds contempt one hot, muggy evening, and they stop speaking to each another. Since food has bound them as friends, it is "mint mackerel surprise" that reminds them of the true value of friendship. Brewster's lively page composition, rendered in fantasy colors, keeps the mood light. Untextured forms in lavenders, pinks, yellows, and shades of green stand in contrast to the browns of the finely detailed drawings of the badgers. The story hour crowd will delight in the subtle, humorous details and identify with the cloudy blue thought balloons that issue from the feuding friends.