Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“The Shindig is coming!” Mouse exclaims 112 times as she runs down the hill, causing curious forest animals to gather and call a meeting about her pronouncement—though none of them, including Mouse, knows what a Shindig actually is. At first there are complaints (“meetings are so looooong and boring”) but everyone attends, mostly because Stan the chicken baked honey cakes. The animals discuss the possible meaning of the word, wondering if it’s a scary swampy thing or possibly a very large kitty with super soft paws. All of the excitement causes Opossum to faint (for the first of many times), but thankfully Bear arrives and looks up the word in his dictionary: a Shindig is a party! The animals are relieved—except for Opossum, who is out cold, and baby Beaver, who’s unclear on what a party is. They all start to prepare until the blue jay alerts them his call about the shindig was not an invitation but a warning. The text, at times ornate and stylized or framed within the imagery, marries and blends with illustrations that sing from page to page, as brightly hued full-bleed images juxtapose with single-color pages, some featuring intricate borders, others bold or sparse. Colorfully clad with creatively patterned, black-and-white fur, each cartoony animal is expressive and a little silly, adding to the humor of the story. This early chapter book could work well as a longer classroom readaloud for elementary students or to enjoy at home. Harper’s latest is a joyful, hilarious romp from beginning to end that feels like a shindig in and of itself.