Saturday, December 21, 2013

Dozens of Cousins by Shutta Crum -- ADVISABLE

Crum, Shutta Dozens of Cousins, illustrated by David Catrow. PICTURE BOOK. Clarion Books, 2013. $16.99. Content: G.

In this celebration of wild family reunions, a group of cousins tears around the grounds, playing and fighting and eating and generally living life to its fullest -- even if it means breaking a few rules.

Dozens of Cousins reads like a Walt Whitman poem, full of gusto and life. Both the text and illustrations capture the rowdy, chaotic feeling of many family reunions, where dozens of cousins turn into beasties and ogres running pell-mell through the world. This book is definitely not for everyone, however. While I enjoyed it as a read-aloud and easily found a rhythm, some may feel the long sentences are unwieldy, and those who have not experienced the abandon of family reunions may not connect with the story or characters. Still, in the right readers' hands it would be perfect, especially right before summer, when family gatherings abound.

EL -- ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Caryn.

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