THE VERY HUNGRY MUMMY

The third in this not-so-scary monster series features a mummy consumed by a need to consume.

A mummy named Queen Andages is having a lovely nap until she awakens, peckish and without a snack in sight. Unable to tell if it’s day or night (sundials don’t work particularly well in pyramids, and windows are nonexistent), she steps outside, to the shock and horror of a group of visiting tourists. Everyone flees except a light-skinned girl named Nessa, and after she shares her chips with the voracious queen, the two become fast friends. Why did everyone run away? Maybe it has something to do with the mummy’s tendency to yell at the top of her voice when she wants something. So it’s off to the bazaar to look for Nessa’s moms, get more food for the still-ravenous Andages, and maybe find some clothing for the queen as well. Kids will enjoy noticing Andages’ (rhymes with bandages) rapidly unspooling wrappings long before she does, and the gentle humor of the text, translated from Spanish, may not have them howling with laughter, but they’ll certainly enjoy this brazen mummy’s need to nosh. Crowd scenes are filled with a cast of different ethnicities and skin tones.

This tale of a hangry young hero is sure to satisfy.