Little Critter

August 24, 2015
Mayer’s bestselling Little Critter is celebrating his 40th anniversary in 2015, and he’s causing some good-natured mischief as Thanksgiving approaches. The text is as straightforward as it gets, but it works well enough as a foil to the humor in Mayer’s images: when Little Critter, who is dressed in a turkey costume, forgets his lines during a school play, a classmate whispers, “Just say, ‘Gobble gobble.’ ” Later, Little Critter disrupts the local Thanksgiving parade and makes a mess at the grocery store, and while Mayer’s emphasis is mainly on mischief, he sneaks in a “worthy” ending as Little Critter’s family participates in a Thanksgiving dinner for the less fortunate at the community center. A sheet of stickers is included. Ages 4–7.

December 13, 2024
Grades K-2 Little Critter is tucked in and ready for bed when he and his little sister investigate a mysterious noise in this early-reader comic featuring Mayer's beloved classic character. Short bursts of dialogue and the use of onomatopoeia keep it engaging and approachable for early readers, while parents will chuckle at Little Critter's dad watching bemused as the siblings creep around the house seeking the noise's source through process of elimination. After an opening explanation of text-bubble shapes, the large, simple panels paired with clearly written dialogue in a large, crisp font make this a perfect building block for learning to read graphic novels and comics. Fans of the classic picture-book series will be happy to see Mayer's signature art style here too. A charming bedtime episode about facing fears and using critical thinking to find answers.

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