The Snurtch

Everyone has his or her demons. Ruthie's is called the Snurtch, and he's orange, scrawly like a crayon drawing, and resembles a cross between a lion, raccoon, and dinosaur. "The Snurtch is grabby and burpy and rude," writes Ferrell, who, along with Santoso, explored another less-than-healthy relationship in I Don't Like Koala (2015). The Snurtch also has little respect for authority figures ("When Teacher calls on Ruthie, the Snurtch threw her pencils"), but after Ruthie shares a portrait of her nemesis in class, the exercise triggers an epiphany: yes, the Snurtch is part of her, but it doesn't control her. The Snurtch isn't vanquished (nobody's perfect), but with Ruthie's new sense of self, it becomes a little more empathic, which vastly improves her feelings toward school. It's beautifully true to life, and Santoso's quick-tempered heroine, with her eloquent grimaces and pigtails that festoon her head like architectural detailing, is fully deserving of readers' sympathies. And as the final pages make clear, Ruthie is hardly alone in having an attitude that can get a little beastly. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Janet Reid, FinePrint Literary Management. Illustrator's agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Associates. (Aug.)

PreS-Gr 1--Ruthie has a problem at school. It's not her classmates or her teachers or even the work she has to do--it's the Snurtch. A large, dinosaurlike orange monster, the Snurtch shadows Ruthie's every move and forces her into disruptive, rude, and mean behavior such as burping, throwing pencils, and even destroying a classmate's artwork. Ruthie is unable to get a handle on her Snurtch until one day, during art class, she stares him down and is able to capture his likeness in a drawing. She shares her picture with her classmates, who immediately offer forgiveness and understanding, and her life at school starts to look up. Her Snurtch is still with her, but she has more success taming it and even comes to learn that other students have Snurtches as well. Ferrell's clear, succinct prose will appeal to kids, but the story's overarching metaphor will go right over the heads of the story's intended audience, who will see it as a straightforward monster story. Parents and educators may also feel frustrated with Ruthie's explanation for her bad behavior, i.e., "It wasn't me, it was the Snurtch." Still, Santoso's delightful depictions of wild-eyed monsters wreaking havoc in school will delight preschoolers. VERDICT A flawed but entertaining addition for larger library collections.--Kristy Pasquariello, Wellesley Free Library, MA