JASPER & OLLIE BUILD A FORT

The mismatched pals from Jasper & Ollie (2019) are back.

Jasper, an impulsive, know-it-all fox, and chum Ollie, a deliberate sloth, decide to hold a fort-building contest. Or, rather, Jasper decides. The duo gets down to it. Jasper speedily and haphazardly slaps together a messy, precarious, dangerous-looking structure, adding to it an extra story, duct tape, and outlandish embellishments, including a moat and a self-aggrandizing statue. In contrast, Ollie gathers proper tools, consults a blueprint, then builds a fort slowly, carefully, and logically. Surprise! When Jasper’s masterpiece is revealed, it thunders to the ground, a casualty of overweight and faulty construction. Jasper’s disconsolate. The very embodiment of a great friend, Ollie consoles Jasper with an invitation into an impeccably built treehouse that, as a curtain reveals, has cozy “room for two.” In a most satisfying conclusion—and with an uncharacteristic admission—Jasper concedes that Ollie’s fort is best, though not without adding a “Jasper” to it. This is a rollicking story of two endearing friends pitted against each other in a comical non-competition, and readers, having recognized all along that this was never really a contest, will chuckle over Jasper’s raucous antics. The delightful, energetic illustrations depict Jasper’s riotous efforts on spreads and recto pages; Ollie’s labors appear on verso pages. Capitalized letters and onomatopoeic sound effects incorporated into the text heighten comedic appeal.

Friends build a fort and an even stronger relationship.