Snappsy the Alligator and His Best Friend Forever (Probably)

In Snappsy the Alligator: Did Not Ask to Be in This Book (rev. 1/16), the offstage narrator turned out to be a chicken who barged in on Snappsy's party at story's end. In this equally wackadoo sequel, the chicken is narrating again, and this time he's buttering up his subject ("Snappsy the alligator was the most interesting reptile in the whole world") because he wants to spend the night at Snappsy's place. The chicken has big plans for their Best Friends Sleepover--they'll play pinochle, wear pizzas on their heads--but Snappsy would prefer a quiet night alone. Following some tense exchanges, Snappsy explodes, "I did not ask to have a sleepover!...I invited you to one party and you never left!" Underneath the entertaining odd-couple clashing lies a serious (well, semi-serious) point about taking a chance on friendship. As in this book's predecessor, Miller's cartoony art in a woozy green-and-purple-heavy color scheme harbors sly jokes that reward attentive viewers. Snappsy's house, which resembles a dilapidated privy from the outside, is shown to be impossibly sprawling on the inside. One might conjecture that this is a comment on the folly of drawing conclusions based on appearances. nell beram