THE PUDDING PROBLEM

Sam Lyttle has a little problem with the truth: even when he’s telling it, it isn’t totally true.

Nine-year-old Sam has a reputation for being a bit of a stranger to the truth. When things go wrong around the Lyttle house, the family knows whom to ask…and they also know they won’t get a straight answer. When Sam rescues a frightened pussycat from the school bully, Sam gets his mother to allow it to stay by saying the cat (eventually named Pudding) will keep him honest (as if). Strange things do transpire: a treasured dog figurine breaks; a dirty ping pong ball finds its way into the peanut butter; a sack of potatoes from Grandpa’s garden goes missing. Grandpa helps Sam deal with the school bully in exchange for a promise from Sam that he tell the truth about the occurrences around the Lyttle house. While the story Sam tells is plausible…it’s not the actual truth. This British import launches a new series focusing on young prevaricator Sam, heavily illustrated in the now-familiar graphic/prose style. The truth behind Sam’s complex lies is as much fun as the philosophical calisthenics he does to justify his falsehoods. Berger’s black-and-white comics and illustrations advance the silly plot nicely; they depict Sam, his family, and his best friend as white, though some of his classmates seem to be children of color.

Further reading for fans of Timmy Failure and Big Nate.