Spud and Snowball and the fancy fish by Judith Rossell

Judith Rossell, most well-known for the Stella Montgomery series, has had an illustrating or writing hand in just about every children's book category (picture books, chapter books, novels for older children, non-fiction, even maze books). Whole page black-and-white illustrations, along with comic strips on many pages and short chunks make this an approachable and appealing chapter book in which the pictures and the text have equal footing. Readers will delight in the hilarity of Spud and Snowball's antics, cleverly illustrated by Rossen.

Spud and Snowball are a funny pair, each with one defining characteristic. Spud likes hatching cheeky plans and Snowball likes eating anything and everything. Cat lovers will get a special kick out of seeing what cats left alone inside might get up to during the day when nobody is home! In this, the first in a new series, the two cats are doing what they do every day (laying on the couch watching television) when an advertisement comes on for Fancy Fish food. A few minutes later the internet shopping is done and not long after that their package arrives. But, it isn't cat food, it's a fancy fish named Sir Mimsy Waffle Poffle Foffington. In fact, the fancy fish they just took delivery of is the most famous opera singer in the world! He expects butlers and fancy snacks and Spud and Snowball try very hard to please him but they aren't impressed. "Can we eat him now?" says Snowball. 

Fans of the Fox and Rabbit, Ollie and Bea and Narwhal and Jelly series will adore this.

Themes: Pets, Humorous stories, Friendship.

Nicole Nelson