Who Took My Lollipop?

PreS-Gr 2–Squirrel tries to keep calm when faced with the disappointment of losing his giant lollipop, but can’t hold it together, even after taking some calming breaths and assuming a tree pose. Despite working on his temper, Squirrel gets more and more frustrated and will not listen to his friends who want to point out that the lollipop isn’t missing, but stuck to his tail the whole time. Children will delight in being on the inside of the joke from the moment that the drama is revealed: the pink and blue lollipop is as large as Squirrel’s tail and is visible in every panel. There isn’t any real suspense, but readers will eagerly follow along with Squirrel’s wrongheadedness and the gross-out factor of Badger’s eventual restoration of the sticky treat. Panczyszyn’s digital illustrations are brightly colored; the characters resemble popular plush toys in their vests and graphic T-shirts. The material is funny, but Mo Willems’s “Pigeon” books are more successful expressions of the range of feelings that can accompany thwarted desires and misunderstood yearnings.