My Book (not yours) (Lento & Fox), by Ben Sanders, (Sept. 2020, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 978-1-68464-065-2
Ages 3-6
Lento the sloth has a heck of a story for us readers… after a little nap, that is. But while Lento snoozes, Fox decides to steal the show! The book is a comical back-and-forth between the two as Fox and Lento jostle one another out of the way to take center stage, breaking the fourth wall and making this a great read-aloud for two readers, or for one reader to get some voice practice on. Lento dons Valkyrie horns and braids to sing about being the book’s star, while Fox does a soft-shoe with hat and cane to say otherwise; Fox takes off in a hot air balloon as Lento pleads with the audience to stick with him. Can these two figure out a way to share the page? You have to read and find out!
A giggle-worthy book, My Book (not yours) will leave the littles in stitches as Lento and Fox become more outrageous in their attempts to take control of the book. Bright red Fox and teal Lento come alive off the spare white page, with minimal design to take the focus off the two. Their actions speak louder than their words: hilariously so.
Toddlers and preschoolers will recognize themselves as the two jockey for attention in progressively wilder ways, each proclaiming that “it’s MY book!”, and adults will get a laugh as they see their own littles in Fox and Lento. For readers of a certain age (ahem), the book evokes memories of the old Mad comic Spy vs. Spy – albeit a much kinder version. Enjoy.
Originally published in Australia in 2019, Lento and Fox have another book, My Pet (not yours), which looks like it’s another laugh-out-loud read. Let’s hope they visit the U.S. shores soon!
My Book (not yours) has a starred review from Kirkus.
Mom Read It 