Mustache Baby Meets His Match

January 12, 2015
Billy, a toddler with an enviable mustache, is used to ruling the roost. So when Baby Javier shows up with a full beard, competitiveness leads to Wild West–worthy dueling: “Billy had never seen such grit. Except when he was looking in the mirror. He intended to prove that he was the true hero, and Javier was just his sidekick.” As in Mustache Baby, Heos and Ang are in perfect comedic sync, and the story’s hyperbolic twists will keep kids and their parents thoroughly entertained. Ages 4–8. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

December 1, 2014
Has Mustache Baby met a buddy...or a rival?Baby Billy was born with a mustache that's usually a good-guy mustache but on occasion curls up into a bad-guy mustache. When readers last saw him, he'd met bearded Baby Javier. Billy decides to show Javier how he's the "sharpest shooter in the west" (shooting hoops) and can "work on the railroad all the livelong day" (lay toy train tracks). But Javier knows a thing or two, like how to "wrassle a bear" (a teddy) and catch fish with his bare hands (goldfish crackers). Baby Billy won't be bested, so he challenges Javier to a duel. Javier beats him at magic, math, art...and even in the final showdown (a tricycle race). This, of course, prompts the return of the bad-guy mustache. When Javier produces a bad-guy beard, a wrestling match ensues-and ends in timeout. Billy wanted Javier as a sidekick, but he became a bitter rival; can Baby Billy figure out how to salvage the situation? Heos and Ang's sequel to Mustache Baby (2013) is more arch cuteness. A couple highfalutin references (Dali vs. Van Gogh in the art contest) and big words ("competitiveness") may miss the target audience, but kids will see themselves and their less-successful play dates in Billy and Javier's first meeting. Ang's cinematic cartoon illustrations are again a joy. More a Mustache Toddler now but still getting into hairy situations, Baby Billy's still good fun. (Picture book. 3-6)

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January 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Heos and Ang offer another amusing adventure for Billy, the baby born with a mustache. The intrepid toddler meets his match in a playmate who sports an impressive beard. During an action-packed visit, the boys show off their various talents, trying to prove which of them is the true hero and who should be the sidekick. To Billy's chagrin, Javier continually bests him in every activity, from a magic show to a pretend presidential debate, and then a neck-and-neck race on their trikes. As the boys become more frustrated with each other, Billy's mustache curls into a bad-guy mustache and Javier ends up with a pointy bad-guy beard. In a final competition, they face each other in the wrestling ring. Billy's mother breaks up the match, sending the now-bitter rivals to sulk in separate corners, but she then helps her son realize that sometimes it is better to be the first to apologize. In the end, Mustache Baby and Javier become "pardners." The animated digital illustrations capture the spirit of competition between the children and add much humor. During the debate, Billy bears a striking resemblance to Theodore Roosevelt, while Javier looks like Abraham Lincoln, and from the sidelines, Billy's bemused cat and dog silently observe the youngsters' antics. Children will also appreciate the playful tone of the narrative, which is replete with allusions to the Old West. Pair this title with Yuyi Morales's Nino Wrestles the World (Roaring Brook, 2013), another story about a determined little boy with a big imagination.-Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2015
Preschool-G This tongue-in-cheek romp follows the (sort of) manly rampages of Mustache Baby and the new kid in town, Beard Baby, as they try to outdo each other. A potential friendship is derailed as the toddlers vie over just about everything: teddy-bear rassling, hobby-horse riding, magic, math, aviation, art, running for president, dueling, and even pro wrestling. Mustache Baby is continually upstaged by the interloper, resulting in frustration, anger, and finally parental intervention and a time-out. At this point Mustache Baby realizes there is one thing he can be first at: saying he is sorry. Peace is restored, and the rivals become friends and true partners. The witty cartoonish illustrations provide additional humor, and the toddlers' constantly morphing facial hair helps emphasize their passionate, over-the-top reactions. Younger readers will enjoy the silly story, and older readers will appreciate the amusing details threaded through the artwork. Consider this a good companion to Beth Ferry's Stick and Stone (2015) in terms of whimsy and the effortless message about the importance of friendship.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2015
In the companion to Mustache Baby, testy mustachioed tyke Billy goes head-to-head with the new kid in town, bearded Baby Javier. The string of competitions results in mutual Hyde-like transformations: "His beard grew pointier and pointier, until he had a... / BAD-GUY BEARD." Ang's digital illustrations capture the action and drama, and the sweet diffusion as they become pardners in crime.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)