10 February 2012 ANOTHER BROTHER by Matthew Cordell, Feiwel and Friends, January 2012, 40p., ISBN: 978-0-312-64324-9
"When Davy sang a tender ballad, Dad cried.
When Davy knitted a wooly masterpiece, Mom rejoiced
When Davy sheared his own dandy hairdo, Mom and Dad cried and rejoiced.
But, things change..."
"It's close to midnight, something evil's lurking in the dark.
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart.
You try to scream, but terror takes the sound before you make it.
You start to freeze, as horror looks you right between the eyes.
You're paralyzed."
-- Rod Temperton, "Thriller"
What do you find most scary? Ghouls and vampires? Standing on the edge of 150-floor building? The thought of an earthquake under your feet, or an asteroid heading straight for your city?
Well, I'd take any one of those in a heartbeat over what befalls poor Davy who for four glorious years "had Mom and Dad all to himself." That is, until along came:
first Petey
and then Mike
and then Stu
and then Mickey
and then Carl
and then Pip
and then Ralph
and then Tate
and then Lenny
and then Gil
and then Ned
and then Bob.
For someone like me who has spent a lifetime struggling mightily with the indignities and travails brought about by having to deal with ONE little brother, the notion of being faced with TWELVE of them is truly a horror show.
And so it is pretty weird that ANOTHER BROTHER is actually so dang funny.
Davy and his [eeew] twelve brothers are all these very funny looking sheep who all wear red sneakers just like I do. The twelve brothers all follow Davy around (just like sheep), repeatedly doing the exact same thing that Davy does. Talk about annoying! Every action, every word.
"'Mom!' Davy said. 'Dad! They keep copying me. Tell them to leave me alone!'
"'It's only a phase, Davy,' Mom said. 'Because you're the oldest, your brothers look up to you.'
"'When they get old enough,' said Dad, 'your brothers will have their own interests. Then they won't copy you.'"
(Yeah, right. I seem to be recalling those famous last words from somewhere in the recesses of my mind.)
But then it happens! They finally leave him alone. Hmmm. Guess what happens next?
Matthew Cordell's depiction of this pack of brother sheep is hysterical. And the parents are even more so. There is one illustration that is absolutely classic: The sheep dad, who is suspendered into his pants, and the sheep mother who is jammed into a turtleneck sweater are attempting (with less than stellar results) to sit in traditional living room arm chairs while they have a serious talk with Davy. It really brings out the barnyard inherent in these characters.
Yup. Sheep and endless little brothers. Definitely the stuff of nightmares.
Richie Partington, MLIS
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