THE SHINDIG IS COMING!

Is the Shindig a soiree? A creature? A warning? Mysteries abound in this oddball chapter book.

Mouse runs into the forest shouting at the top of her lungs, “THE SHINDIG IS COMING!” The other animals immediately gather for an important meeting, but they soon realize that nobody knows what a shindig is—not even Mouse, who heard the news from the blue jay. The others speculate wildly until Bear informs them that a shindig is a kind of party. All is well and good until the blue jay arrives and makes it clear that his announcement wasn’t an invitation but a warning. Throughout the book, Harper makes unexpected choices, as when the narrative switches its point of view among three characters in sections subtitled “What Mouse Heard,” “What Bear Said,” and “What Opossum Missed.” Opossum drifts between consciousness and unconsciousness (she’s prone to fainting when danger arises), making the end of the book a puzzle to decipher. And thanks to its mysterious open-ended finale, young readers may come away with more questions than answers. Meanwhile, Harper peppers the pages with meticulously detailed illustrations, rife with intricate linework and eye-catching typography. It’s a singularly beautiful book, if strange to its core.

Evocative and mysterious, this book frustrates even as its artwork enthralls. An intriguing head-scratcher.