PROFESSOR NINCOMPOOP

An eccentric professor relates the story of his fantastical big discovery to two young skeptics in Vee’s illustrated children’s book.

The fun begins with Professor Nincompoop’s announcement to young fans Nick and Tess that he has made his “most impressively impressive discovery ever.” He’s certain that his “discovery”—concealed in a box with air holes, claw marks, and a “Danger” sign—will fulfill his lifelong ambition: entry into the Professors Hall of Fame. As Tess and Nick await the revelation of what kind of critter is in the box, Professor Nincompoop launches into an increasingly tall tale about how he found it. The kids have questions: If other animals are the only ones who knew the whereabouts of this particular critter’s habitat, did the professor really chat with cheetahs, banter with baboons, and palaver with porcupines to find it? (And is he really “half-fluent in flea?”) Also, if the critter is truly “massively massive,” why is the box it’s in so small? The author takes a sly dig at indiscriminate online fact-finding; when Tess asks if he’s “a real professor,” Nincompoop refers to his “incredibly credible degrees” and says, “I’m even on the internet!” (Nick responds, “Everyone’s on the internet, Professor.”) Vee effectively combines funny-bone humor with playful examples of logic and independent reasoning. Illustrator Askew ratchets up the narrative tone of comic chaos with full-page, full-color digital images loaded with off-the-wall wackiness, from the characters’ skinny-limbed, big-headed bodies and bug-eyed expressions to the professor’s wild gestures, pogo stick jumping, and gymnastic leaps in addition to a plethora of absurd details (a basketball, a chicken, a skateboard, and a hamburger are among the objects that fly from the professor’s open suitcase). When the “reveal” comes, readers will get a kick out of what the “critter” turns out to be, and there’s a sweet coda in which Tess and Nick give the professor an alternative way to realize his dream of fame.

An entertaining lesson in critical thinking wrapped in visual and verbal goofiness.