Mr. Badger and Mrs. Fox 3: What a Team!

By: Brigitte Luciani
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Publication Date: April 2011
ISBN: 978-0761356332
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: February 10, 2012

Grub yelled at Bristle to be careful or he might hurt himself. The brothers were having a jumping contest with their friends. Flip! Whomp! Whoop! It was great fun until Ginger, their 'almost sister' showed up. When they claimed they were a couple of great athletes, she turned up her nose at them saying, "You're the biggest lazybones ever, almost brothers!" Their friends wanted to know why she called them 'almost brothers' and was told that when Mr. Badger and Mrs. Fox moved in together they had "been living as brothers and sister." Berry, who was a toddler badger, loved Ginger, but the other boys could live without her interference.

Ginger was a little snooty, but that was just her way. Sometimes she thought she was better than her 'almost brothers.' She didn't want to join in on the jumping contest because she was gong to build a boat and wanted to know if they wanted to help. They headed home to get some tools so they could build their boats. Berry was excited to see "Injer" and wanted to go along. As soon as they gathered up their tools and headed for the river, the arguments began. Ginger wanted to build a sailboat and Bristle said "That's stupid!" Silly, stupid, always want it your way, and sulking. Waaaaah! Would they cooperate long enough to get anything done?

This graphic novel for young children is about an enchanting blended family who are much like some 'real' families. Ginger, the oldest girl, is always bossy and used to getting her way. When she tries to deal with her 'almost brothers' things usually heat up. Most of the interaction is between the children as they try to put aside their differences, like real-life siblings, in their journey to becoming a family and enjoying each other's company. I like this series because it realistically portrays the difficulty blended families encounter. The panels are whimsically enchanting and delightfully appealing. This is an excellent choice to add to your list if you are thinking of creating a blended family or already have one.

Quill says: This is the story of a blended family, the Fox and the Badgers, who have trouble with teamwork.