A Tale of Wonderful Whiffs

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S A TALE OF WONDERFUL WHIFFS ABOUT?
Ahh, pugs. Over at SheldonComics.com, you'll see them described as “God's Little Weirdos.” But in A Tale of Wonderful Whiffs, they're some of the Universe's “Secret Agents” here to spread love (through a variety of means). Both ideas work, really, if you've ever spent time around them.

In particular, this book is looking at Pugini and her person, Sophie. There's not really a narrative arc here, it's a series of vignettes looking at the things that Pugini and Sophia do as these Secret Agents to brighten the lives of those they come into contact with and spread love.

It could be argued that Pugini's method of spreading her message of love—via “tuneful toots” created from her “happy belly” which is “only sometimes SUPER smelly”—is pretty crass and not worthy of some of the elevated subject manner. But I can't imagine anyone's going to bother—particularly because it's hilarious to a kid who's still having picture books read to them.

THE ILLUSTRATIONS
Croker provides some dynamic art. It's very distinctive and attractive (although I thought the colors seems a little muted). I thought she nailed the art for Pugini—who is fairly cartoonish—especially the art revolving around Pugigini and hunting for snacks. It's cute stuff that's going to appeal to the target audience, I can assure you.

The, um, odor cloud depicting one of Pugini's “fabulous farts” on one page is a great touch.

OKAY, SURE, MAYBE I'M BIASED
A few years ago we adopted a senior pug/beagle mix, and I could see a little/lot of her in Pugini—her “squidgy face”, the “snorts and toots,” and the “hungry little monster nibbling on absolutely everything.” So, I'm an easy mark for this book—then again, how often do I have something less-than-complimentary to say about a Dog Book?

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT A TALE OF WONDERFUL WHIFFS?
Sure, I'm not that wowed by the spiritual message of the book, but how many kids are going to grab on to it when they're at the picture book stage anyway?

It's a little saccharine-y, a little heavy-handed (but how many picture books are noted for their subtlety?). But ultimately it's a cute book, with a nice premise, and some distinctive art. I'm not sure what else I have to say at this point, it's a winner.

Get your hands on it had after a little fun with one of the goofiest critters around.







My thanks to Love Books Group for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including the book) they provided.