77. Leave It to Plum

Leave It to Plum! Matt Phelan. 2022. 128 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It was a fine, crisp morning at the Athensville Zoo. A peacock and an alligator were in the middle of a staring contest.

“You blinked,” said the small peacock named Plum.

“I haven’t blinked since Tuesday,” said the large alligator named Mike.

They stared.

And stared.

Premise/plot: Plum, our protagonist, is one (of many) of the peacock ambassadors for Athensville Zoo. Peacocks, as ambassadors, roam free in the zoo. But someone is mighty jealous, a small marsupial, a ningbing, named ITCH. He'll stop at nothing [insert evil laugh] to bring down the peacocks. If the zoo needs an animal ambassador it should be HIM. He comes up with a multi-faceted plan that is sure to succeed...or will it? Can Plum figure out what is going on and put an end to it???? Can he redeem the reputation of the peacocks and restore them to their rightful place?

My thoughts: This was a delightful animal fantasy. Plum is our main character, but, there is plenty of animal characters readers meet throughout the book...including a cat named JEREMY. 

I enjoyed this illustrated chapter book very much. I found it charming and sweet but not too sweet! I would definitely recommend this one.

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers