From Jon Agee ("a comic master," SLJ), a hilarious book of animal riddles PreSchool-Grade 4 Mr. Putney's unusual animal friends become the platform for a guessing game that will nudge children's creative thinking while giving them plenty to laugh about along the way. The opening spread poses the question, Who wakes Mr. Putney in the morning? The accompanying illustration depicts an armadillo staring at an alarm clock as the man dozes on. When the page is turned, the creature shouts, YO! awakening him and hence fitting the label: An Alarmodillo. A bevy of other quirky pairings introduces the man's other friends: Who is snooping on Mr. Putney? a Spyena, and Who is Mr. Putney trying to put on a diet? an Oranguton. Clue-packed pictures add to the fun. Agee fills out the spreads with thick-lined, soft-colored, comedic pictures. A great choice for fans of punnery and where other of Agee's books are popular. Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. There’s no story here, just a bald-headed, high-waisted, mustached old bloke named Mr. Putney, who acts as straight man to a long string of animal-related jokes. Each right-hand page asks a question: “Who does Mr. Putney like to jump through?” A page turn later, we get our punny answer: “An anteloop.” Laughing yet? If so, then you’re in luck, because Agee has come armed with 20 of these joke book–style yuks. Some you can’t help but laugh at: “What do you call Mr. Putney’s messy lunch companion? A slobster.” Others fall flat: “Who is Mr. Putney trying to put on a diet? An oranguton.” And others are enjoyable simply due to the ridiculousness of the invented terms—anyone who isn’t amused by the word “frug” (“What does Mr. Putney have on his floor?”) needs to loosen up. Agee’s color pallette is a bit muted for the intended audience of budding wiseacres, though once the ball starts rolling, that complaint becomes irrelevant. Parents, get ready to hear these groaners again and again. Grades K-2. --Daniel Kraus Jon Agee is the author and illustrator of a dozen highly acclaimed picture books, among them MILO’S HAT TRICK, TERRIFIC, and NOTHING (all ALA Notables), as well as eight books of wordplay, including MR. PUTNEY'S QUACKING DOG and GO HANG A SALAMI! I’M A LASAGNA HOG!