I picked this up with trepidation; Stinky Cecil’s first adventure was laugh-out-loud fun, not to mention informative, and I hoped the second volume would live up to the promise of the first. And it did!
In their first adventure, Cecil the toad and his pond friends managed to save their little pond from development and got a look at the wider world. Cecil and his friends return in book two for another wart-raising adventure with plenty of humor and some handy facts. Cecil is enjoying a peaceful nap in the sun when he’s awoken by a cry for help—Sprout has been trapped in a bottle! “I’m always telling Sprout that bottled water is bad for the environment,” he says. No sooner have the friends freed Sprout than another catastrophe strikes and Cecil is captured by small humans! Cecil’s friends mount a rescue mission but aren’t getting far (Shelly means well but turtles just…don’t move that fast) until Jeff, the free-range hamster, joins in the trip. Together they set out in Jeff’s helicopter to rescue Cecil from the Terrarium of Terror. Along the way, they’ll have many narrow escapes while Cecil meets some interesting new friends and the small humans learn a little about Cecil and the other inhabitants of the terrarium. The “more to explore” section in the back includes informational comics about Cecil’s new friends—chameleons and garter snakes—and instructions on creating a terrarium. There’s also character sketches for those interested in the artistic process.
Braddock’s brisk, comic style includes lots of wide-mouthed amphibians, popping eyes, and colorful backgrounds. Jeff, a wacky character and my personal favorite, is a chunky, furry little guy with a bubblegum-pink nose and dashing cowlick. Readers will easily recognize the distinctive characters from the previous book: spotted Cecil, sleek purple RayRay, blue Sprout, and Jeremy the worm. The children in the classroom where Cecil ends up are a diverse group, and the two characters most featured are a Caucasian girl and dark-skinned boy. While the story mixes fact and fiction, it’s easy to discern between the two by looking at the art; readers will realize that Nesbit the chameleon can’t really change color into stripes and plaid, but will also learn that chameleons have no real sense of smell.
Although Stinky Cecil includes information about the pond environment and discussion of the environment, the underlying information is always realistic and not sentimental. Far from being upset at his captivity, Cecil is pleased to be free of predators and have plenty of food delivered with no work, but as an anthropomorphic creature he does miss his friends. The main appeal of Stinky Cecil is the tongue-in-cheek humor. Even the quick death of Reggie the fly, “curse that five-day life span” says Jeremy, is played for laughs. There are plenty of jokes, both broad and subtle from dry wit about the environment to Jeff’s over-the-top helicopter piloting.
Beginning chapter readers will appreciate the easy-to-read text and broad humor while more intermediate readers will giggle at the more subtle jokes. While it’s not necessary to have read the first book to enjoy this title, the books are better together and both are an excellent purchase for a library serving elementary-age children. Although the Stinky Cecil books are available only in paperback or prebound, AMP!’s paperbacks have a long life and are overall generally sturdy.
Stinky Cecil, vol. 2: Terrarium Terror
by Paige Braddock
ISBN: 9781449471866
amp!, 2016
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
