Snappsy the Alligator

This is a book-length sparring match between exasperated alligator Snappsy and an offstage storyteller-foil who criticizes Snappsy and ignores his pleas to scram. Falatko's ability to sustain the tension at length; Miller's savory palette; and the unvoiced suggestion that when fiction is working well, a character can take on a life of his or her own all serve this meta-story well.

The omniscient narration begins normally enough: "Snappsy the alligator wasn't feeling like himself." After a bit more in this vein, Snappsy turns to the reader: "This is terrible!...Why is this rude narrator trying to make it seem like I need a nap?" So proceeds this book-length sparring match between the exasperated protagonist ("You're an awful narrator. You're just describing what you see in the illustrations") and an offstage storyteller-foil who criticizes Snappsy ("The story is really boring now"), ignores his pleas to scram, and saddles him with unwanted idiosyncrasies, including a predilection for foods that begin with the letter P. The story's meta aspect, the alligator's rib-tickling madder-by-the-minute agitation, and the simple primary-color-avoidant illustrations outlined in black may all owe a debt to Mo Willems -- but it's still a pretty terrific book. It's distinguished by Falatko's ability to sustain the tension at length; by Miller's savory palette, largely in underripe greens and purples; and by the unvoiced suggestion that when fiction is working well, a character can take on a life of his or her own. nell beram