One Cool Friend

What I wouldn't give for one of those :) 

THREE PROS

*When I saw the penguin on the cover, I kind of expected something lowbrow and average -- what author Toni Buzzeo gave me was anything but  

*I don't know whether the author or the illustrator gets the credit for this, but the way the book presented thought bubbles and speech boxes was super inventive (though somewhat distracting)
*Great closing scene hook -- but it might be lost on your children due to the esoteric (for people under 12) naming applied

THREE CONS 

*Reads a little bit like a screwball comedy where one of the main characters conveniently misses an otherwise obvious abnormality (then again the way Buzzeo sets it up is creative) 
*Never gets around to telling kids that stealing animals is frowned upon 

*I could have done without Elliot's freckly rosacea, even though I understand why it was needed to give some life to the otherwise black and white image of the boy and his clothes

ONE DAD'S OPINION
Buzzeo and David Small partnered up to produce an entertaining story that should not be missed.  The only problem is that I can't quite visualize wanting to thaw the book out all that often.  To me, it seems wasteful to spend $17 on a hardcover that will be put in a deep freeze on your shelf once it makes its introductory rounds.  Then again, there's something to be said for having a few luxury items laying around for special occasions.  It's a really close call, but, despite being one cool read, I can't endorse One Cool Friend above Borrow status.    

Buy / BORROW / Donate / Destroy