Brace Yourselves. The Alpacalypse is Here.

Last year, there was a great disturbance in the Force (or something like that) when a Llama ate too much cake, which led to the destruction of the world. This year, Llama, in his quest to avoid housework, has unleashed something so great, so much bigger than all of us, that there may be repercussions for years to come.

Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse, by Jonathan Stutzman/Illustrated by Heather Fox,
(May 2020, Henry Holt), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250222855

Ages 3-6

I am slightly obsessed with picture books, I’ll be the first to tell you. Llama is one of my latest obsessions. The first book, Llama Destroys the World, is HILARIOUS. Like, my Kiddo and I attempt to read it together where I’m the narrator and he’s the Llama, and we can’t get through it in one shot because we’re laughing so hard. So when I had the chance to receive a copy of Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse from the publisher, you bet your bippy I said yes. And it is every bit as laugh-out loud funny as the first book.

Llama wakes up one day and decides to make a big breakfast, but with big breakfasts, comes big messes (Llama, Llama, you clean as you go!). Not really on board with cleaning up, he instead creates the Replicator 3000 and invites his friend, Alpaca, who happens to love cleaning, over for lunch. You follow where I’m going? Oh yes. With a mighty ZOOP!, there are two Alpacas. But why stop there? Llama keeps pressing buttons, and Alpacas keep replicating, filled with scrubbing, sweeping, vigor. They take to the streets! They storm the town! No one is safe! The Alpacalypse is here! What will Llama do? And will he have learned his lesson by the end of the book? You have to read it for yourself, but trust me: this is comedy GOLD. Kiddo and I read this one out loud together, too; he cackles his way through both Llama and Alpaca’s voices, and I giggle through the narration. It’s never going to get old, mark me.

The artwork is just so much fun. Big-eyed Llama and Alpaca dance across the pages, their expressive faces really making the text come across even funnier, and the wild, cartoony, bold artwork just invites readers into the fun. Pizzas and cake decorate the endpapers. The only way this would be even more fun is to print out Llama coloring sheets and activities, courtesy of the author and illustrator.

I can’t wait to see what Llama has in store next. A must-add to your storytime collections and heck, your personal ones, even if you don’t have littles. Read it to yourself, you need a laugh today.